


Novelization of Final Fantasy IX

by GoatofGehenna



Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy IX
Genre: Canon - Video Game, F/M, Novelization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21704776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoatofGehenna/pseuds/GoatofGehenna
Summary: This is a small writing project I started for a friend who doesn't play video games but whom I wanted to introduce the wonderful world of Final Fantasy IX to. This is my attempt at novelizing this beloved game. I will later record an audio book version of this piece for listening on the go.I do NOT own Final Fantasy IX or any part of it. I am not profiting in any way by doing this--it's just something I'm doing for enjoyment. I am simply further embellishing a story we already know and love into a format for non-gamers. I'm using this website as a place holder for it so that link sharing is easier.You will note that I had to make some changes to minor details in the storytelling because some things did not translate from video game to literature extraordinarily well, I am however, trying to keep as close to the source material as possible while including some extra information that could not be got from the original format. Hopefully these changes will enhance your experience if you are a fan familiar with this game.
Relationships: Beatrix & Adelbert Steiner, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII/Zidane Tribal
Comments: 10
Kudos: 55





	1. Alexandria

This is a fan made novelization of the video game Final Fantasy IX.  
See the summary for more details.

Chapter 1, Part 1: Alexandria 

Lightning crashed upon the dull sky like the crack of a whip, illuminating the squall about a lone boat being tossed mercilessly on the ocean waves. 

The small boat, like a twirling leaf in a hurricane, groaned as the sail gave way to the belligerent storm. 

A small girl, swathed in a damp cloak, lay pressed against the curve of the boat, her long brown hair shrouding her face from the biting winds.

Before her, a woman with flowing dark hair pulled back roughly on the ropes determined, yet in a losing battle with the sea.

The taste of blood and sea salt.. The ache which accompanied the fierce chill.. 

Suddenly gravity gave way as the boat was catapulted into the air, and for a moment they seemed weightless…

Princess Garnet awoke suddenly with a gasp, instinctively catching herself from falling on a nearby window seal. 

She shook her head, disoriented, her heart pounding. The warm morning sun greeted her, in stark contrast to the dream which had seemed so real only moments before. 

She remembered then where she was--safely in her bedroom within the royal castle of Alexandria. 

“Again,” She thought, staring at the floor. “How many times now have I had that dream?” 

She sat on her vanity chair, pushed up against the wall near an open window, a gentle breeze drifted into the room.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her gloved hands. 

“I must have fallen asleep here somehow…”She mused.

A small flock of birds sang as they glided through the sky outside her window, bringing her back to the present. She stood, pushing aside the window panes to peer down from the tower. 

The beautiful bustling kingdom below was painted in the rich golden hues of a pleasant summer’s morning.  
Alexandria stood proudly above the cliff tops of three large waterfalls, backed by a wall of mountains and a clear blue lake. The various houses and shops below were decorated with colorful banners. Clay roof tops, crooked clock towers and winding stone staircases were thematically sprawled across the kingdom. 

The castle itself was a pearly white with a tall crystal pillar at its center--in stark contrast with the surrounding scenery. 

Channels of water led from behind the castle, through the heart of the town below before disappearing over the foggy horizon beyond the grand cliffside. 

Sometimes, if you closed your eyes and stood very still, you could feel the rumble of Gaia--the planet--beyond the edge...or so they say. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Through a sea of clouds, a stone mermaid drifted anchored to the ship prow of the Prima Vista--the luxury liner airship of the Tantalus Theater Troupe.

It’s propellers beat with a low hum as it glided effortlessly through the sky. The ship itself appeared almost like a castle, with its pointed roofs and circular glass towers. The belly of the ship was a rich chestnut wood, decorated carefully with ribbons of a deep blue stain. 

Inside the ship, Zidane--a small statured, fit young man--slid down a steel pole from the storage unit above him, the metal buckles on his harness-like bolero vest clanking as he dropped to the floor below. He carelessly tossed his hair, for of the haphazard blond mane that framed his face, half of it would inevitably fall from the loose hair ribbon that sat below the nape of his neck. His hair perfectly matched a peculiar golden tail which playfully swished to the side of him as he walked, easily resembling that of a monkey. 

The hallway he walked down was dimly lit by a pair of oil lamps on the wall, leading vision no further than a door to his right. This area of the airship appeared unfinished--broken set pieces and instruments littering the hallway. The ceiling here was in need of repair as it was missing beams and large cracks showed in the wood. 

Zidane threw open the door, and stepped into the dark room before him. 

“Sure is dark…” He spoke into the room. Silence followed him. “Guess nobody’s here yet…” He continued, stepping forward, searching in the dark with his gloved hand. 

He felt the edge of a carpet meet with his boot. “Ah, there it is,” He thought, pulling a box of matches from his side pocket. 

He struck a match and held the flame close to him, walking until he reached a small round end table with a candelabra upon it. 

The room slowly grew brighter as he lit the candles. He heard footsteps behind him, followed by a familiar voice calling from behind the wall.

“Who’s there?!” 

Zidane turned on his heel, swiftly defusing the flame on his match. “It’s me, Zidane!” He answered. 

The door creaked open as three of his comrades stepped into the room. 

To his left stood Blank--a man only slighter taller than he, with deep red hair which was held up by a thick leather headband--such a thick leather band in fact that his eyes could scarcely be seen beneath it. His body, while muscular and lean was also patched with a series of burn scars, one of which, covered half of his face. 

To the right of him was Cinna, a strange looking fellow with pointed ears, a bulbous red nose and a beard which stretched from his upper lip to under his jaw in a complete ‘U’ shape. 

Lastly, Marcus stood to the side of Cinna, a bandana pushed too far over his heavy brow, accentuating his fanged underbite and large, tattooed shoulders. He quite resembled a troll. 

Zidane smirked, as the four of them raised their hands in unison for their customary greeting gesture.

“Hey, Zidane!” Blank called, a hint of playfulness in his voice. “You sure are late!”

Zidane chuckled, hooking his thumbs over his pockets. “Hah, Sorry. So, where’s the boss?”

“Ain’t here yet,” Cinna interjected. 

As if on cue, the door behind Zidane swung open and a figure stepped out, wearing a blue dragon mask. Reflexively, the troupe swooped in to attack the intruder, who countered them with a weapon of his own. Blank brought his weapon down upon the intruder’s head causing the wooden mask he was wearing to fall apart, revealing their boss--Baku--underneath. He held his head, seeming stunned by the impact. 

“Ughh! My head! Go easy, you guys!” He howled. 

The three troupe members staggered back, appearing slightly winded. Baku fixed his belt and gloves, a teasing grin stretched across his face. 

“Hey, fools!” 

Baku walked over to Zidane and smacked him roughly on the back, nearly costing him his footing. 

“You’re lookin’ a lot better!” He commented, laughing to himself as he strode over to the door opposite the entrance. He cleared his throat, wiggling his pig-like snout. “Alright! Let’s start this meeting already!”

He kicked the door open, leading the party into the next room. The meeting room held a single oil lantern, a round table and a few chairs, surrounded by clutter and engine pipes. Zidane took his seat, flipping his chair around to straddle the backside. On the table sat a model-sized replica of Alexandria Castle. 

Baku slammed his hands down on the table, shaking the model, leaning forward as he spoke.

“Here’s the plan! Tantalus, the infamous band of daring thieves--that’s us--is headin’ to the Kingdom of Alexandria.” He waved an amateur ragdoll over the miniature castle. “Our mission: to kidnap the heir to the throne, Princess Garnet!”

Cinna stood up from his seat behind Zidane. “I’ll take it from here, so listen up! Our ship’s about to dock at Alexandria, and when it does, we’re gonna put on our costumes and perform, ‘I Want to Be Your Canary--the most popular play in Alexandria.” He nudged Marcus. “Break a leg, Marcus! Cause you’re playin’ the lead!” 

“Leave the actin’ to me!” Marcus boasted. “Of course, the real kidnappers’ll be Blank and Zidane!” 

“I’ll distract the audience from backstage with these little buggers,” Blank said, sliding a glass jar off of a shelf beside him and holding it out before the troupe. Inside the jar were a collection of large-eyed insects, similar to beetles--they made an obnoxious chirping sound as they hopped within their confined space. “Ugh,” Blank grumbled in disgust. “I can’t stand oglops… but I’ll manage, so don’t worry about me.”

He set the jar back on the shelf. “And that’ll be your cue, Zidane!”

Zidane grinned, his tail curling mischievously behind him. “Okay, so that’s when I kidnap the princess, right?” 

“You bet!” Baku answered, “You’re gonna kidnap the most babe-ilicious beauty in all of Alexandria, the princess Garnet herself!”

\---------

While inside the airship the tantalus troupe continued their schemes, on the ground below a very small and clumsy individual wearing a pointed, wide-brimmed hat was gathering his bearings after tripping on his own feet and falling face first into the stone pathway leading into the town center. 

“Oww,” He muttered, dusting himself off. His blue linen jacket and striped balloon pants appeared slightly ragged, the fabric on the knees neary giving way, the cuffs nicked with dirt.

Suddenly, a gargantuan shadow enveloped him and a thunderous booming loomed close over head. 

“Huh?” He looked up, seeing the large underbelly of the Prima Vista, flying low, where the sky once was. 

His eyes were two shimmering beads of ornate light, shrouded by a face like a shadow or smoke--with no definite edges--like a drop of night sky beneath a steepled-hat. Around these parts however, a boy as odd as this passed easily in a crowd.

“Here!” Came a small voice beside him, breaking him of his trance. It was a little girl with rosy cheeks, her hair in twin-tails like floppy rabbit ears perched upon her head. “You dropped your ticket.” 

The boy reached for the ticket which the girl held out to him, she smiled happily and cheered a ‘goodbye’ before skipping away. 

Timidly, the boy trotted after her as people hurried by him through the arch way up ahead. Then, he felt someone crash into his backside. He stumbled, almost flattening himself on the ground again. 

“Why you--” came a snobbish voice from behind him. “Get outta my way!”

Another boy, no taller than he, with the appearance of a hairless rat in red overalls darted out in front of him and disappeared around the street bend. 

The boy in the pointed hat waddled to a ticket booth up just ahead. From behind the woven drapery, the Ticket Master appeared--a plump fellow with tired eyes and a long snout from which hung a row of pointed teeth beneath a cluster of whiskers. 

“Can I help you, son?” His voice came, gruff but friendly. 

The boy hastily pulled the ticket from his coat pocket. 

“What’s this?” The Ticket Master said, craning his neck over the tall booth counter for a better look. “There’s something odd about this ticket...why, it’s another fake! I’ve seen so many today.”

“No…” The boy whimpered, feeling his chest ache as he swelled with dismay. He had been so hopeful when he had finally been able to get this ticket. But this...this was terrible news. 

“Now, now. Don’t cry,” Came the Ticket Master’s voice, softer this time, “I know how you must feel. Here, I’ll give you these. Do try to cheer up now, hmm?”

The boy looked up through misty eyes at the large hand that extended to him from over the counter. Curiously, he reached for the handful of cards the man offered. They were playing cards--he had heard that some people used them in duels where the prize could be a large sum of money. 

“Those can be really useful if you know how to play them. If you can find him, a person by the name of ‘Alleyway Jack’ should be able to help you. This is the most I can do. Good luck, lad!” 

Swiftly, the boy thanked the Ticket Master for his kindness and turned, slowly walking down the street--wondering, the cards clutched to his chest, what he should do now. Maybe he should just enjoy the scenery of Alexandria? After all, even if he weren’t able to see the performance he came here for this kingdom was still quite famous and lively. 

Beside him a group of children played jump rope while a merchant sold hats to passerbyers on the corner. Amongst all of the noise and the colors of the crowded town square, a daunting dark alleyway caught his eye. He felt afraid of it, of what he could not see beyond the shadows, but still some strange force beckoned him towards it.

“What about that alleyway person the Ticket Master told me about?” He thought to himself, staring at the cards as he walked. “Alleyway Jack…”

Too distracted to notice, he tripped on a misplaced cobblestone, hurtling face first to the ground.

“Blast it!” Boomed an angry voice.

The boy peered up at a hippo-like man, who stood atop a wooden ladder, glaring down at him disapprovingly. He huffed loudly, stomping down the ladder, his belt of tools clanking. 

“Hey! You made me miss you little klutz!” He continued, shaking his fist roughly in the air.  
The boy began to stammer out an apology as he clambered to his feet, fixing his hat, but the man had already repositioned the ladder and returned to his work. 

He stared up at him, dumbfounded.

A few whacks later the angry worker, whipped his brow and grumbled something to himself about finishing his day’s work before climbing down from his perch again and leaving beyond the alleyway. 

The boy, now alone in the dark alley, fidgeted with the small golden buttons on his coat. 

“Hey, you! Shrimp!” A small voice came suddenly, accompanied by the pitter-pattering of feet quickly approaching him. A familiar face came into view--it was the rude rat kid from before. “You’re the one with phony ticket, aint’cha?” 

The face the boy must have been giving the rat kid somehow prompted him to prod further. 

“I saw the guy tell you it was fake!” He continued, almost accusatory. 

A thought then occurred to the pointy-hat boy and he found himself asking a question before he could think better of it. “Are you Alleyway Jack?”

The rat kid looked offended. “Do I look like that loser!?” He spat, his hands on his hips. Then he relaxed, brightening, an impish smile stretching across his face. “But I’ll let you in to see the show if you become my slave! Well, whaddya say?”

The boy in the tall hat twiddled his thumbs, shifting his gaze away from the rat kid who was far too close to him. “W-well…” He began, timidly, “Alright…”

“Awesome!” The rat kid cheered, “Now for your first assignment! You go stand over there and see if anyone’s coming!” 

The rat kid pointed towards the opening of the alleyway with his tiny clawed hand. His sense of urgency prompted the other boy to swiftly obey him, posting himself firmly before the entrance. He heard the rat kid shuffling across the cobblestone behind him. He wondered what he was planning. 

“Is it all clear?” The rat kid called.

The boy did not see anyone coming their way. He turned around, nodding.

“Awesome!” The rat kid answered, grabbing the wooden ladder which lay against the wall. “Engage according to mission parameters!” He teetered unsteadily as he lifted the ladder--nearly twice his size--above his head.

“Let’s go!” He said, racing down the alleyway with the other boy at his tail. 

The boy followed the rat kid through a winding road and inside of a tower with stained-glass windows that housed a very tall ladder leading up to a huge brass bell. “Now,” He started, “we’re gonna climb up this tower! It’s pretty dangerous...you go first!”

“Umm, okay…” The pointy-hat boy responded, nervous, but feeling like he had little choice in the matter. He waddled up to the ladder and gripped the side of it. Just as he moved to step onto the first rung, he heard a small mewing sound and the aggressive flapping of wings. He looked up right as a pink puffball landed on his face, knocking him over. 

He heard the rat kid’s taunting laughter from behind him. “What the heck was that!?”

The furry little creature jumped off of the boy, flapping it’s tiny bat wings, “Sorry ‘bout that, kupo!” It chirped.

“That’s Kupo, he’s a moogle,” the rat kid clarified.

The moogle nodded and chirped in affirmation. 

“And this is slave number one--” the rat kid continued, “try to get along, okay?” 

“Kupo! Pleased to meet you!” 

“Alright,” the rat kid interrupted, “time for some upward mobility!”

He strode over to the tall ladder, securing the one he had brought with him around his right arm. The moogle and the boy both watched him disappear up the tower, surprised at how effortlessly he handled the extra weight. 

“Okay!” A voice echoed from inside the tunnel. “Come on up now, slave!” 

The boy walked over to the ladder and gripped one of the bars in his red glove. He stared skyward and saw the silhouette of the rat kid--looking quite small--glaring down at him from a keyhole of light. With a trembling hand he took a step, focusing squarely on the wood grain of each bar as he climbed. 

“Alright, the play’s gonna start if we don’t hurry!” The rat kid called, turning for the roof tops, leaving the boy no time to catch his breath upon reaching the top of the tower.  
The boy followed the sound of the other child’s footsteps as he walked, not trusting himself to look up as he made his way across the uneven clay tiles. Then, suddenly, the tiles ended leaving only two narrow beams of wood that connected two rooftops. The drop below was dizzying. He found himself fidgeting with his coat buttons again. 

“Come on! Get over here!” 

The boy didn’t answer.

“Lemme guess...you’re afraid of heights, aren’t you? It’s okay!” He reassured him. “Just pretend you’re on the ground!”

The boy swallowed, hard. 

“Just like on the ground,” He told himself in repetition, all the while silently begging his legs to stop shaking. 

When he felt the ground level out beneath his feet again he sighed in relief, but the rat kid was far too distracted to care. “Come on already!” He shouted, “We’re running out of time!”

After a few moments the rat kid turned to face the boy sharply, nearly knocking him over with the ladder he carried. “Oh yeah,” he began, “I almost forgot--I don’t even know your name!” 

“M-my name’s Vivi.”

“Vivi, huh? Kinda funny name…” He paused. “My name’s Puck! Pleased to meetcha!” He said with a toothy grin. 

As they hopped over to the next rooftop and the next and the next, Vivi began to wonder just where Puck was taking him, until he stopped at a small wooden deck overlooking an opening in a stone wall. 

“Whew...we finally made it!” He announced, bridging the gap between the rooftop and the deck with his ladder. “After this wall, we’ll be inside the castle!”

Vivi scampered after him as he vanished behind the stone wall. 

\----

“Wow,” Vivi thought, as they slipped easily beneath a crowd of very posh looking nobles. 

Among the pastel gowns and silk ribbons, the prestigious suits and matching bow ties, Vivi and Puck certainly seemed out of place, but they were so quick and nimble that they managed to sneak behind a cluster of chairs, eyeing the brightly lit stage through the gaps. 

\--

Chapter 1, Part 2: I Want to Be Your Canary 

Queen Brahne was not a pretty woman--this was an understatement. She had a bright blue face that was round like a toad, with bulging eyes that gleamed wickedly from under the shadow of her heavy golden crown that doubled as a complicated ornament for her puffy, straw-like hair. 

Everything about her was gaudy--from her tacky mismatch robes, to her off-white fur collar, to the pinkish-purple makeup covering more of her face than it should have. 

It was a wonder how, her daughter, who sat only a foot or so away, was as beautiful and not-blue as she was. 

The princess had dense brown hair that was so clean and glossy, it reflected the stage lights. She had a narrow, pointed jaw and deep, sad eyes framed by a thick mass of eyelashes. 

Princess Garnet sighed and bowed her head, clearly not as pleased with this whole production as her mother, who by contrast was already out of her seat--fan fluttering in excitement as she peered over the ledge from which they sat. 

In the corner, to her right, stood Adelbert Steiner, Captain of the Knights of Pluto. With his feet firmly planted and his tall sword pointing upward proudly, he almost appeared like a statue--each inch of him decked out in a gleaming plate of steel. He glanced quickly at the princess, a pompous smile stretching across his heavy, broad face. 

The stage shuttered, silencing the murmuring crowd briefly before fireworks sprang from the ground and cheers erupted from the audience. The stage began rising, doubling in size, as if decorative pillars grew from the very base of the Prima Vista from which it sat. Like magic, a full band appeared with the rising floor, followed by a spray of fireworks that revealed an even larger stage underneath. 

Steiner stood, smirking at the bedazzling display. Certainly, this had already far out done the mundane vestiges of last year’s performance. 

“And good timing too,” He thought, his eyes flickering back to the princess. 

She remained with her head still bowed, eyes closed and eyebrows pinched, a frown tugging on the corners of her lips. Steiner felt his face fall at the sight of her dismay.  
“Ahem,” A low voice began from the stage, “Ladies and Gentleman!” 

It was Baku, the theatre production’s leader, standing in the spotlight of the small stage below. He was donning a long red and green robe with a bit of gold and fur trim around the edges--a petite crown was nestled between his pointed pink ears. His pig-snout twitched as he held a gloved hand to the audience.

Their applause waned. 

“Tonight’s performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king. And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne and Your Highness, Princess Garnet...noble ladies, lords and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus theatre troupe proudly presents “I Want to Be Your Canary”!”

He took a dramatic bow as the band above him bellowed out a foreboding piece. The spot light dimmed and the stage was plunged into blackness. Then, the music softened and several amber lights flickered on, revealing the empty stage set--a mock stone castle surrounded by an array of silk potted plants and iron candelabras. There was a burgundy velvet curtain in the far back of the center stage. The back splash was painted in the rich autumn hues of the sky where the sun had just set. 

\--  
As silence swept over the room, Blank, still backstage called out in his loudest voice “Bereft of father! Bereft of mother! Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!”

Cinna stood beside him, Zidane kneeling at his immediate right, all behind the velvet curtain. “Fortune hath escap’d thee!” He followed. “For what end shalt thou live?” 

Zidane pulled a meager sword from the shealth at his right, standing and pointing it toward the ceiling. “For the sake of our friend… Let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!” He finished. 

The three of them plunged forward as the curtain rolled open. Great sparks of light shot up at the back splash, accompanied by instruments that mimicked the sound of a thunderstorm. They rounded on Baku, who was playing King Leo, guarded by two henchman in leather masks. Marcus, Zidane, Cinna and Blank stood before them, swords drawn. 

“We shall back thee, kinsman!” Blank called to Marcus. 

“Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!”

“Nay, kinsman!” Cinna responded. “For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!”

The King lashed his fists out in anger. “What ho? Out, vermin! Away!” He drew a sword from his side. “Thou darest bare thy sword before thy king!?” He growled. “All who stand in my way will be crush’d!” 

“Treacherous Leo, my kinsman’s suffering shall not be in vain!” Zidane spat. “For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!” 

In that moment, Zidane sped toward Baku, the rest of the troupe close at his heels. They engaged in mock battle, clashing swords loudly and dodging blows expertly. Marcus then delivered the ending blow to Baku, pretending to spear him through his side, causing Baku to cry out in pain and stagger backwards. The troupe stepped away, still crouching defensively, watching as Baku kneeled over and crept toward the staircase to the right of the stage. 

He clutched his side, groaning, making his way to the balcony above. “Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!” He warned from the landing. 

“Come back here!” Zidane yelled, gripping his sword tighter and barreling for stage right. 

Blank stepped to block him. 

“Out of the way!” Zidane snarled, swiping his sword at the air. Blank avoided it, back flipping up a few stairs. The band above could be heard strumming the opening of Vamo’ Alla Flamenco.

“Consider this, Zidane! If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornealia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!” 

Zidane’s eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head roughly. “‘Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!” 

Blank turned for the landing above the stairs, Zidane racing him up. Blank faced Zidane, a playful glimmer in his eyes too subtle to have been seen by the audience. He lunged his sword, low at Zidane who lept right over it, following with a swing of his own. The two of them continued in this way, almost as if dancing, one trying to best the other, both having thoroughly memorized these moves. Suddenly Blank jumped from the balcony, landing easily on the main stage below. He took off through the crowd with Zidane in hot pursuit, nearly tripping Marcus in the process. 

Blank stopped, turning to face Zidane before the audience, now right before the barricade from which the nobles sat.

“En garde!” He called. 

“Expect no quarter from me!” Zidane threw his sword at him again. 

The crowd cheered and clapped, enthralled by the display. Zidane beamed and briefly allowed a grin to play on his lips as he threw himself into the air, twirling before clashing swords with Blank. 

“Show off,” Blank sneered as Zidane met him, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“Can’t help it,” Zidane responded under his breath, pulling his sword back, his face obscured by his long hair. 

He could see a trickle of sweat beading from under Blank’s headband. His eyes darted to the right of him, tail swishing amusedly across the dusty stone floor. Blank got the hint.

“We shall finish this later!”

He turned, darting back down the walkway. They both ran, disappearing around a stone wall as the lights dimmed and the crowd slowly became quiet again, turning their attention back to the main stage. 

“Hah.. nice segway,” Blank huffed, catching his breath as they slid behind a statue in the shadowy hallway. “Although, I wish we had rehearsed that last part before today.”

Zidane snorted before leaning his prop sword against the wall. “Yeah, the boss didn’t really give us much warning about the layout of the inside of the castle, huh?”

They both peered out into the hallway. It was dark and quiet, save for the murmuring of conversation around the corridor. 

“Guards,” Blank whispered. Zidane nodded.

They both slunk out from behind their hiding place, scaling the wall until two castle guards, outfitted in plates of steel, came into view. The guards were chatting idly, completely unaware of what awaited them around the bend. 

Zidane could barely make out Blank’s face beside him, glowing in the dim fire light of the next hallway over. He put a finger to his lips-- “shhh” --smiling as he backed himself against the wall opposite of Blank. He started to count down silently, mouthing the words.

“Three...two...one!” 

At once they both lurched forward, catching the helmet-less guards from behind, arms wrapping tightly around their necks. The clanking of metal and shallow choking noises could be heard as the guards struggled in their shock before succumbing and slumping helplessly onto the floor. 

\---

“Ugh, this thing stinks!” Zidane groaned, tossing the guard’s helmet to the side.“Hasn’t this guy ever heard of a bath?”

Both Blank and Zidane stood clad in the guards’ armor. A few feet away, two men lay unconscious in their under garments, pushed up against a wall.

“Yeah, my helmet totally reeks,” Blank agreed. “My armor’s way too big and my back’s real itchy...the boots are wet and my gloves are all slimy…” Blank started to turn his pockets inside out, food crumbs spilling out.

“Okay, okay, I get the picture,” Zidane said, rolling his eyes.

He put his hands on his hips, looking at Blank expectantly.

“You still have them, right?” Zidane motioned to a jar, poking out from inside Blank’s over sized pants pocket.

Blank clasped his hand over the lid, narrowing his eyes slightly at his friend. “Don’t worry about me, I won’t screw up.” He assured him.

Zidane started towards the door, watching for passerbyers in the hall. He could see a wide stone staircase before him and hear the band playing softly upstairs, the sound distant in the spacious foyer. Blank moved beside him.

“Alright, they should be upstairs at the balcony overlooking the stage. The interlude is coming up, which means there’ll be a cart somewhere nearby with drinks for the royal family. I’ll pour the sleeping potion into their tea, after they’ve drank it we’ll have to act fast and take their guards out--quietly, before they have time to react.”

“Right,” Blank whispered back, pushing his headband up slightly, before they both slid out into the large hall.

As they crept up the long staircase, a thunderous roar of ‘awe’s’ could be heard from the audience just outside.

“Uh oh, sounds like the scene where Marcus sneaks into Cornelia’s chamber is about to start,” Blank said in a hushed voice. “We’ve gotta act fast.”

Zidane narrowed his eyes, hugging the cold railing as they rounded the top of the large staircase--the noise from outside growing ever louder as they climbed.  
Just as the stone-tile landing of the second floor came into view however, Zidane heard a heavy thudding sound to the left of him that had him shrinking back behind the wide banister. He put his arm out, blocking Blank from proceeding as he followed the sight of a petite shadow skirting across the floor above.

“Footsteps,” He thought. “And a lightweight by the sound of it.”

The figure was obscured in shadow, thanks to a single candle-lit chandelier above them. They seemed to be moving rather slowly, carefully, as if not to disturb the silence of the room.

He leaned closer, daringly peering around the railing.

The figure was quite small indeed--they wore a long white cloak patterned sparsely with bright red diamonds near the waist where it was cinched in by a matching belt. He could see the outline of their narrow legs, extending from beneath the over sized garment they wore on top, ending in a pair of ruby-red short heeled boots.

“A woman,” Zidane silently corrected himself. He felt his unruly tail twitch from within his baggy pant leg.

Something strange seemed to possess him then, causing him to stand upright and move toward her in a kind of heady trance.

She gasped, stepping backward as Zidane suddenly approached her in the dark. A halo of candle light came over her face, illuminating it in a warm amber glow.

Her eyes were full and dark, catching each flicker of light like the water’s surface to the night sky. Her eyelashes, delicately curled, cast a spider-like shadow across her high cheekbones. 

Her lips--which appeared full and soft were parted slightly beneath a cute and slender nose.  
Though she appeared contorted in surprise, Zidane’s breath left him momentarily at the sight of her. His mind seemed to wander and he found his kneecaps buckling.

“Umm…” The girl’s voice came, softly, with a tinge of discernment. “Would you please let me pass?”

Without thinking, Zidane obliged, stepping backward narrowly. She broke eye contact with him, dipping her face beneath her hood and a veil of fine, dark hair.

As if being broken from a spell, suddenly Zidane came back to himself, remembering where he was and what he was doing.

A jolt raced up his spine and instantly, he stepped in front of her again.  
“Wait, hold on a sec,” he blurted out. She glanced up at him, quickly defusing an emotion from her face. “Haven’t we met before?” Zidane continued, straightening his posture and tilting his head inquisitively.

Her face briefly grew pensive and then mildly agitated.

“No, I do not know you…” She responded in a low voice.

Zidane crossed his arms and bit his lower lip, feeling his trademark smirk teasing at the edge of his mouth. A familiar tightening swelled in his chest as he walked around her, his eyes memorizing her shape.

“Maybe you’re right…” He murmured, circling back around to her front. She followed his every movement defensively, attempting to read him. “I’d never let someone as pretty as you get away.”

Her gaze wavered slightly as color bloomed demurely under her cheeks.

“Zidane!” A voice spat from across the hall, causing them both to flinch in response.

He looked to the shadows and saw Blank, kneeling by the staircase, wearing a hard expression. Before Zidane had time to react however, the girl before him shoved roughly against his chest and he staggered backwards.

“I-I must go!” She exclaimed, pushing past him and barreling down the stairs past Blank.

“Who the heck was that!?” Blank asked, grabbing Zidane by the arm as he started after her.

“That was the Princess!” Zidane hissed, taking his arm back. “Come on!”

“Are you serious?!” Blank called from behind him.

Zidane's heart was thudding heavily in his chest, whether from nerves or excitement he couldn’t tell, all he knew was that he couldn’t let her slip away, after all they had a princess to kidnap.


	2. A Princess to Kidnap, The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because these chapters are so long and take quite a bit of time to write and put out I decided to put part one of this chapter out now. The chapter is: A Princess to Kidnap  
> The secondary title for the part of this chapter is: The Chase. The next “chapter” I upload will be the second part of this chapter and keep the same main chapter title but have a new secondary title. 
> 
> This picks up right in the game as to where the last chapter left off, switching perspectives to the respective characters when I felt it helped further the main story.

Chapter 2, Part 1: A Princess to Kidnap, The Chase

“Your Majesty!” Belted a scrawny jester in blue, thumping hurriedly down a long red carpet leading out to the royal balcony. He was followed closely by his twin--an equally unsightly jester in red. 

The knight Steiner stepped in front of the two flailing men, his metal suit of arms clanking defiantly.

“See the queen we must!” The jesters demanded, straining to push around Steiner. 

He cleared his throat, peering down at the royal jesters as if they were a buzzing fly in his ear. 

“Her Majesty is busy!” He announced, firmly. “Come back later!” 

Steiner’s words only proved to excite the jesters more as they stammered out a fast series of exclaminatory ‘but’s’ and ‘need to’s--their colorful, oversized bell sleeves flapping. 

“Is it an emergency?” Came a smooth, womanly voice from beside them. 

General Beatrix stepped around the staircase to their right. She was a tall woman with full auburn tinted hair--heavy curls falling about her shoulders in treases. A pointed red velvet collar hung over her low cut white dress coat. Her face was beautiful and stirn--one cold amber eye glared down at the jesters from under a thick frame of eyelashes. A silver plate of armor protected her right eye--the hint of a deep crescent shaped scar above her cheekbone.

“An emergency it is!” “A veritable emergency of terrible urgency!” Clamored the jesters as they appealed to Beatrix. 

She tightened her small lips into a fine line, a hand confidently resting above her leather belt. “Very well. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Very grateful we’ll be!” Cheered the jesters, one speaking over the other. 

Steiner grimaced and bore his eyes away from the General. “Curse that Beatrix,” he growled between clenched teeth. “Always trying to one-up me.”

“So, what exactly is the problem?” Beatrix continued.

“Her Royal Highness…” Began Zorn.

“Princess Garnet…” Followed Thorn. 

“...is in danger!” 

A brief moment of silence passed between them as Beatrix studied the unsightly jesters with her piercing gaze. 

“I see,” She turned, hair twirling as she faced the queen who sat in her throne only feet away. “Wait right there.” 

Queen Brahne was fanning herself fanatically--a huge toothy grin stretched over her plump, blue face as she watched the play giddley. Beatrix fell to right--posture perfectly straight, hands clasped unassumingly at her front. 

“No interruptions!” The queen bellowed--swatting a large hand at Beatrix as though she were a pest. “Can’t you see I’m watching the show!?”

“Your Majesty,” Beatrix began unphased by this display of disrespect, “I’m afraid Princess Garnet has--”

The Queen shifted in her seat and narrowed her eyes--which stayed fixed on the stage. “Ah, yes…she did leave her seat awhile ago.” 

“Your Majesty, it seems that Princess Garnet has run off with the Royal Pendant,” Beatrix continued smartly. 

The Queen collapsed her hand fan as she slammed her fists down on her throne. “Well, of all the…” She cursed, lips quivering in acrimony. “What could she be thinking?!”

She rounded sharply on Beatrix. “General Beatrix!”

Beatrix responded fiercely, prepared to receive her Majesty’s orders. 

Suddenly, the thunderous clanking of steel could be heard barreling down the carpeted staircase to the Queen’s left. 

“And Captain...uh…” Brahne trailed off.

Steiner flushed, pushing his helmet back uneasily as he struggled to appear respectable before his Queen. He debated whether it was safe to speak over her. 

“Steiner, your Majesty--”

“--Ahh yes, Captain Steiner!” She answered brashly, waving her fan dismissively towards the hall. “Go find Garnet!” 

His gloved hand slammed to his forehead in salute. “Yes, my queen!”

“At once, your Majesty!” Affirmed Beatrix. 

\--------------------------------

Captain Steiner strode into the great hall, falling over the railing as he called for his men. “Knights of Pluto! Assemble!”

Silence fell over the room. Two of Beatrix’s guards eyed each other curiously from beside the entrance to the Princess’s royal chamber. 

“Hmm?” Steiner cocked an eyebrow, his jaw hardening. He cleared his throat--the sound comically loud in the cavernous room. 

“Where are my men?!” 

Two doors slammed open from a room a floor below. A pair of unclothed, older men stumbled out from behind it. They stood awkwardly, cheeks blistering and hair ruffled, in only their undergarments, in the foyer over which Steiner glared at them from. 

“Captain, sir!” Said one knight, saluting firmly. 

“All present and accounted for, sir!” Answered the lone knight who stood just perfectly behind the first. 

Steiner’s face contorted. “What are you talking about you blubbering idiots?! There’s only two of you!” He stomped childishly, waving his fists as he continued his tirade. “Where are the other six?!”

He ran down the long staircase to meet the two knights in the foyer. Both sheepishly turned their gaze from him. 

“Why, you useless good-for-nothings!” Steiner roared. “I bring orders from the Queen! So get dressed and go find Princess Garnet--now!” 

The knights paled and muttered a pathetic apology, scrambling for their quarter. 

Steiner crossed his arms, scrunching his nose in disgust. “The imbeciles...an absolute embarrassment.” He muttered to himself.

Before long, he became impatient and strode to the Knight’s quarter, letting himself in without so much as a knock. 

“...So I guess they really did.” One knight said to the other, fixing his glove. 

“Whoa, really? You always have the latest news!” 

“Hey!” Barked Steiner, causing the two men to jump as he appeared behind them. “I thought I told you to look for the princess! What are you doing in here!?” 

“Oh, Captain! It looks like Weimar got together with Barbara at the--” the shorter knight, Blutzen, chimed obliviously.

“Why in Gaia’s name are you telling me about this!?” Steiner interrupted him, quickly. He was nearly trembling with rage--his heavy eyebrows fixing a permanent crease into his broad forehead. “I told you nitwits to go search for the princess!” 

“A-At once Sir!” 

“Yes Sir!”

“So go!” He pointed sharply at the door. 

The two men hurried around him, nearly stumbling over themselves on their way out. 

\-----------------------

Zidane’s heart was pounding fast and heavy in his ears; his head was spinning. 

He wasn’t sure when but at some point he had lost Blank through the weave of dark corridors and unending staircases. 

“How can she be so fast?” He thought, eyebrows furrowing as he struggled to even his breathing. 

The cool air of an early summer’s night fell readily over Zidane’s damp forehead as he followed the princess onto the opening of a tower, her cape flying behind her like a pair of wings. 

As she turned the bend, doing a sort of dance with him around the tower’s steeple, he thought he caught a glimmer of playfulness--her red cheeks beaming in delight, as they briefly made eye contact. 

He felt his chest tighten--a feeling that was very separate from the burning in his legs and throat. 

“Could she be…?” He wondered, daringly--his mind ripened with excitement and confusion.

Suddenly she slowed, climbing to the tower’s edge just in time for Zidane to catch up with her. 

He huffed, his mouth falling open dumbly as she stared down at him, the wind blowing up her cloak and hair. 

Her full, dark eyes gleamed with the reflection of the stage lights far below them--her face perfectly bathed in luminescent warmth from beneath her hood. 

The clouds behind her whirled slowly in the deep midnight blue sky. A smile filled her face then, her chest rising and falling in anticipation, her eyelashes batting slowly--knowingly--at Zidane. 

He wanted to reach for her, but couldn’t remember how--couldn’t feel his hands sweating in his gloves, couldn’t feel the goosebumps which lined his arms. It was as if she had paralyzed him.

And then, in a great gust of wind she fell, disappearing right over the ledge.

Instantly, Zidane was snapped back to reality as fear darted through him like an arrow. He nearly threw himself over the ledge as he ran to gaze after her.

The Princess fell easily, scaling the long wall of the stone tower, tightly gripping a rope of decorative streamers on her way down. 

“Oh shit!” He thought, winded but relieved to see her alive. His stomach ached.   
Without contemplating it, Zidane pulled back on the rope and hurled himself into the air after her. 

He could hear her laughing as she landed comfortably on a tent several feet away. 

Following her closely behind he too fell on the tent and scrambled to his feet, struggling to catch momentum. Behind him he heard a loud crash and glanced over curiously--searching for the source of the odd sound. 

“Is that...the backside of a knight jammed into that roofing?” He thought briefly, humored by what he saw. 

When he turned his attention back on the princess however, he found she was nowhere to be seen. He stood, momentarily perplexed, before slipping down into the band level of the Tantalus ship below.

“Huh?” He scratched the back of his head, blinking, scanning the stage left and right. “Where’d the princess go?” 

Suddenly something came crashing over him, sending him face first into the floor. 

“Ow...what was…?” He laid in a daze hearing someone say ‘Oops!’ as they stumbled over him. “Orange...white...wait--that’s the princess!” 

He righted himself, brushing off quickly and hurrying after her as she disappeared behind a large wooden door around the corridor. 

As Zidane made his way down the hall, he could hear fellow Tantalus member Ruby, unsurprisingly, lecturing someone in the distance. “And here I am fixin’ to get ready for my big entrance!” She was saying. 

As he rounded the corner of the band storage room, he noticed Ruby towering over someone whom she had backed into the corner by a large bronze harp. 

She stood, her hands on her hips--curled silvery blonde hair tucked back by an oversized teal headscarf. Her height swallowed the other person from his sight. 

She turned as he approached, halting her lecture mid sentence. “Oh, hey Zidane!” She looked cross. “Did you see the way she hit me!?” Ruby gestured to the person at her right, who seemed to shrink even further into the corner. “This cowgirl’s wilder than a buckin’ bronco!” 

Zidane fought the urge to roll his eyes at her openly, only knowing too well how that would end. “Just let me talk to her, Ruby.” 

“Come again, partner?” She suddenly stepped very close to Zidane, nearly pushing her breasts, which threatened to spill out of her very low cut white blouse, right into his face. “Did you hear what I was sayin’?!” 

Zidane’s face burned, as he recovered his footing. He heard the clattering of footsteps as the person behind Ruby dashed down the stairs to her right. 

“H-hey!” He pushed past Ruby, ready to throw himself down the stairs. “Ugh! Ruby--we’ll talk later!” 

\--------

“Hnng,” Zidane slammed the door behind himself, having followed her all the way down to the bottom storage room of the airship. “Cornered.” He chuckled lightly, proud that he had finally caught up to her.

The princess stopped beside the lone candelabra in the center of the dark room--her white cloak a silhouette in the glow of candle light. He walked toward her carefully, tail brushing along the carpet behind him. The room was deafeningly quiet, save for the sound of their gentle breathing and the occasional whining floorboard as he moved closer. 

“Well,” he spoke, in a low voice, as if too loud a sound or too quick a movement might scare her off. “It looks like you’ve finally made up your mind.” 

“Wow,” He thought. “We really had to improvise, but hey, we got her!” 

Silently, the princess turned towards him, face still buried in her hood. Zidane suddenly became very aware of how close they were. 

“Do you…do you work on this theatre ship?”

Zidane chewed on his cheek, resenting the fact that she saw through him so easily. 

“As you have no doubt suspected…” She began, timidly reaching for her hood. “The truth is that...I am actually...Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, heir to the throne of Alexandria.” She finished, pushing her cloak so that it rested on the back of her head, revealing her delicate but refined face clearly in the fire light. 

As his gaze lingered on her in the privacy of the storage room--in this cramped, dark space, their figures haloed only by one ring of candles, he realized how juxtaposing he found the official title belonging to this petite girl who stood before him to be. Somehow in that moment her title seemed to overwhelm her but it mattered to him very little who or what she was. 

She pursed her lips, eyes darting to the floor and back before boring into him with renewed intensity. “I have a favor I wish to ask of you…” 

Suddenly she stepped very near and reached for him, taking his hands firmly into hers. Zidane’s breath caught in his throat--if not for his tail balancing him, he might have stumbled backwards in surprise. 

“I wish to be kidnapped right away!” 

He swallowed, trying to form words over the dryness in his mouth. “H-huh!? I don’t... I mean…”

“Princess!” Called a loud voice, followed by hard rapping on the storage room door. “Where are you!?” 

Garnet threw down Zidane’s hands and bit her lip, looking around frantically. “Please! They’ve come for me!”

“Aha…” Zidane’s surprise turned to amusement, as he put the pieces together, watching humorously as Garnet searched for an exit. “So that’s what’s going on…” 

“Alright!” He straightened, smirking and thumping his fist confidently against his chest. “Leave them to me!” 

She exhaled, smiling politely. “Thank you. You have my gratitude.” She bowed her head at him.

Zidane’s tail gave an eager flick from behind him. His chest swelled as he dropped to his knee before her, hand draped over his jabot.

“Alright then, your highness, I shall hereby do my best to kidnap you!” He promised, bowing his head low to the floor before staring back up into her glowing face from his humbling position. 

Her lips parted ever so slightly as they made eye contact but if her cheeks reddened in the dim light, he couldn’t tell. 

Suddenly, the door behind her busted open, slamming loudly against the wall. Garnet shrieked and jumped to hide behind Zidane, who stood--feeling slighted by the unwanted interruption.

“What’re you two doin’?” It was Cinna, waving them to the door he’d come out of. “Come on, this way!”

Zidane felt Garnet’s grip tighten on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Princess. It’s my friend, Cinna.” 

“Oh really?” She relaxed, stepping back. “I am sorry. You startled me.”

Zidane laughed. “Well, with a face like his, I’d be pretty shocked too!”

Cinna’s face fell. “Man, that hurts! I wash up every morning, you know!” 

“Princess?!” The rapping came at the door again, more demanding this time followed by hasty fumbling sounds by the door handle. 

“This way!” Cinna called as Garnet and Zidane hurried after him through the open door. 

\-----------

“Princess…?” Steiner, having finally busted down the door to the storage room, was surprised to find it empty. “I could have sworn I heard her voice from just behind that door.”

He stumbled around the room, hands searching blindly in the dark. “Princess? Princess!” He called, feeling desperate now. 

He heard footsteps from behind him and reflexively gripped the handle of the sword at his side. As he turned however, the familiar gleam of one his knight’s armor came into view and he relaxed.

“Where have you been?!” He demanded. 

The knight swiftly bowed his head in apology. “Sir! I’m sorry, sir!”

“Err..” He clenched his fists, turning hopelessly towards the empty room. “Well, help me find the princess then!”

\-------

Zidane pulled back from the peep hole in the wooden wall panels and glared in Cinna’s direction--although it was so dark in the room they now stood in he wasn’t sure if that was Cinna or a chair he was staring at. He could feel Garnet fumbling for his forearm on his left. 

“So, now what?” Zidane huffed. “We’re at a dead end!” 

“Heheh..” Cinna chuckled, fiddling with one of the table legs in the center of the room. “I thought this might happen...open...sesame!” 

As if loaded with a spring, the table fell back against the wall and a hatch leading to a drop down room was revealed. 

“So I set up this escape hatch!” Cinna finished.

“Uh, cool when were you gonna tell me about--” 

“Princess!” Steiner’s booming voice interrupted, followed by rapid banging sounds. 

“Come on! Jump inside!” Cinna called as he threw himself down the escape hatch. 

Zidane turned to Garnet, half expecting to need to coax her to follow him down the hatch, but she readily pushed past him, throwing herself down feet first.


	3. A Princess To Kidnap, The Great Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I present to you part 2 of Chapter 2! This part was really hard to write and I had to make several creative decisions so that this would be easy to follow in this format and make sense with previously detailed information in my novelization of this game. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 2, Part 2: A Princess to Kidnap, The Great Escape

“Hmm…” Steiner mused, squinting into the blackness that was the seemingly bottomless pit of the escape hatch which lay popped open in the middle of the cramped storage room from which he stood. “Yes, the princess must be down there!” 

He stepped away from the hole, arms crossed, and looked over at his knight expectantly. 

“I-I’ll go first, sir!” 

The short knight gave a nervous nod but promptly threw himself onto the hatch. 

“Hmm?” Steiner’s frown deepened as he watched his knight struggle and thrash, seemingly descending no further. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” He barked. 

“Capt’n Sir!” Called the knight, helplessly. “I’m stuck, sir!”

Steiner gave a mad stomp on the ground, beating the air with his fists. 

“Grr! Blast it!” He bellowed before thundering from the room.

The knight wrestled fruitlessly from where he sat until he could no longer hear Steiner’s heavy thudding footsteps over the hum of the Prima Vista’s engine below. 

He craned his neck towards the door, double checking that he was now alone. He let out a low chuckle, righting himself with ease. 

“Heh, he bought it!” 

\------------------------

Zidane watched as Garnet slid down the airship’s piping, skipping over the large, rusted valve wheel with ease before landing perfectly on the floorboards below. He hopped down to meet her, using his tail to guide his smooth landing. 

“Wow, you’re really athletic, Princess,” He commented coquettishly, resting his arms behind his head while teetering on his heels. “I think I’m falling for you.”  
Garnet stood, brushing the dirt from her cloak. Her gaze fell on Zidane--masked with a sturness that was reflected in the careful distance she preserved. However, Zidane could not miss the faint blush that betrayed her at his words--highlighting her doll-like face cutely. 

“This is nothing,” She said simply, “I have been training to escape the castle, after all.” 

She passed by him, tucking a lock of her glossy hair behind her right ear. 

“What a waste,” Zidane said to her backside. “If only you weren’t a princess…”

For a moment they both fell silent before Garnet quickened her pace and waved a gloved hand in the air. “We have no time for idle banter. Come, let us move on!”’

Cinna called for them from across the room, appearing as little more than a frumpy silhouette under a very dim light. Zidane followed Garnet to the short wooden door Cinna stood beside. The clanking and humming of the ship’s engine grew quieter as they stepped into the dark of another room.

“Let’s get this play over with and get the hell outta here!” Called Cinna, fumbling for the light key. 

Garnet fell back by Zidane, who groped blindly in the dark, searching for something of leverage. Suddenly light bloomed from behind them--flooding the dusty room in a milky haze. 

In that same instant, Zidane realized they were not alone. Before them stood a tall man with a broad forehead, dressed head to toe in plates of steel. He wore a nasty frown which emphasized his dimpled chin and shallow jawline. Zidane staggered back, nearly tripping on a pole beside him. 

“Aha!” Captain Steiner narrowed his eyes squarely at Zidane before deflecting to the Princess behind him. “Princess! I, Captain Steiner, have come to your rescue!”

Zidane heard the floorboards behind him squeak as Garnet carefully stepped backward, followed by a surprised gasp.

“You needn’t worry, your highness!” Another voice spoke from behind them. Zidane glanced back and saw Garnet being steadied by a lesser Royal knight. 

“Good work! This will be remembered as the Pluto Knights’ finest hour!” Steiner told him smugly. 

“That’s right Princess, just relax--we’ll get you outta here!” Chuckled the knight, pushing Garnet further from Steiner. 

Zidane’s forehead creased. “Wait a minute…” He thought. Something seemed too familiar about that knight.

Steiner seemed to notice this dichotomy as well for his cocky grin fell and he stared wildly at the knight before him. 

“What?!” He blurted, advancing on them. “You’re not one of my knights!”

“No, you’re right, I’m not,” Answered the ‘knight’ removing his helmet to reveal a mop of messy red hair and his scarred face. 

“Blank!” Zidane cheered, beaming widely at his comrade. 

Cinna stepped forward, bearing his hammer at Steiner, who’s hand fell quickly to the blade on his hip.

“Heh, well then,” Zidane followed, drawing his dagger from its sheath. “Why don’t you just leave the Princess to us?”

“Fiends!” Steiner roared, baring his teeth as he swung hastily at Zidane. “How dare you trick the princess!”

“Whoop! Heh Heh!” 

Zidane evaded Steiner’s blow with ease, swooping between his legs and swiftly snatching his hat from his head. 

“Hey, Cinna, how much you think this hat’d go for?” Zidane teased, shoving it on his own head before twirling around to face Steiner. 

Steiner’s face flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet. He clumsily grabbed at the air, missing Zidane as Blank forwarded him a blow to the chest.

“How dare you mock me! Scoundrel!” He huffed.

Zidane tossed the hat over to Cinna who caught it mid-air. He sniffed it jokingly and then grimaced, waving it like a dirty napkin. 

“Ugh, honestly it’s too disgusting to sell. I don’t think I’d be able to get the grease stains out of it!”

Steiner growled, charging at the three of them like an angry bull. “Enemies of the crown! I’ll never give up!”

Blank, who was nearest to him, blocked Steiner with his body while Cinna’s hammer met with his sword. Just before Zidane could deliver the final blow however, Blank cried out in pain followed by the sound of shattered glass.

The four of them jumped apart reflexively. 

Blank pulled his glove from his pocket, revealing a mess of blood and glass shards. 

“What…”

Zidane’s jaw dropped as his mind raced with questions. Then, an oglop hopped to the floor--and another, and another. 

“The jar!” He realized, watching in horror as the lot of oglops bounced freely toward Steiner. 

Steiner’s face turned an unexpected shade of white. He swat at the bugs comically, muttering something incoherent under his breath while staggering backwards through the door frame behind him. 

“I hate oglops!” He cried, seemingly so absorbed by his phobia that combat was long forgotten. 

Zidane sheathed his dagger quickly and rushed over to Garnet, grabbing her hands eagerly as he pulled her towards the exit. 

“Come on! Now’s our chance!” 

\------  
Above the storage unit of the airship, ‘I Want to Be Your Canary’ was nearing its climax. Baku, donning the cloak and crown of King Leo, paced the stage and waved his arms dramatically at the crowd below. 

“Tonight, I shall finally see my daughter Cornelia beroth’d to Prince Schneider! And then Prince Schneider and his kingdom will be mine!” He announced, finishing in a wicked laugh. 

Two masked men led Marcus onto the center stage--binding his arms tightly as he faced the King. 

“Your Majesty!” One of the men started. “We have caught an intruder!”

The King glared at Marcus who huffed at him dramatically as he struggled to break free from the henchmen’s grip. A devilish grin broke across King Leo’s face as he neared them. 

“Why, my poor Marcus,” He began. “Hark, lad. No matter how much thou dost treasure Cornelia...no matter how deeply she might believe she doth love thee...never shall I see her marry a peasant such as thee!” 

The King turned to the clock tower painted on the mural behind the castle set. 

“When yon bell strikes three…” He bellowed. “Under the axe thou shall be!”

The stage faded to black, leaving only the ominous toll of a bell tower chime in the distance. 

\----

Finally Zidane and Garnet stopped, out of breath, at the end of a series of rooms and corridors. 

Zidane released Garnet, pacing the room thoughtfully with his hands on his hips. They were surrounded by a number of trap doors and rotating risers, but nothing leading to a safe exit. 

“W-What now?” Garnet gasped. “We cannot go any further!” 

Zidane could feel her staring expectantly at his backside as he chewed on his tongue--tossing solutions around in his head. 

“Zidane!” Cinna interrupted, suddenly entering the room behind them. “Get on number two!”

Zidane’s face glowed as if an idea had struck him. He pulled Garnet towards a rotating riser. “Got it! Princess Garnet--this way!”

“Hey! Stop!” Steiner’s booming voice called from the hallway. 

Zidane yanked hard on the riser’s lever just as Steiner came into eye shot. With Garnet gripping his forearm for support, they rose up to the floor above.

\-----

“Furthermore--” Baku, who was clearly invested in his role as King Leo, stopped abruptly upon seeing Zidane, Garnet in tow, suddenly appear on center stage beside him. He looked completely dumbstruck. 

“Discreetly!” He lectured Zidane brashly under his breath, “What part of kidnapping discreetly don’t you understand?!”

Zidane glanced quickly at the oblivious crowd before responding, “Just improvise!” In a hushed voice.

Seconds later the platform to their right open up and the Knight’s Captain--Steiner--appeared on stage. He squinted at the lights, disoriented by what he saw. 

“Cornelia!” Marcus said suddenly, rushing over to Garnet while scooping her hands into his. 

“Um--” Garnet seemed to shrink further into her hood, flabbergasted by the turn of events. 

“Marcus is Cornelia’s lover!” Zidane whispered, so low that only she could hear. 

Garnet paused briefly before stepping forward, surprisingly falling into Marcus’ arms.

“Oh Marcus!” She wept theatrically. “I missed you so! I wish never to leave thy side. Prithee, lead me from this awful place!” 

Zidane had to double take, reminding himself that he was on stage and that the Queen was watching. 

“See, King Leo?” He improvised, turning to Baku and waving his hands at Garnet and Marcus. “Thou shouldst give them thy blessing!”

Baku turned sharply from Zidane, crossing his arms defiantly. 

“Never!” He barked. “Never leave his side, thou sayest? Ha! Foolish banter! I’ll not allow it!” He strut over to where Steiner stood--still frozen in shock--and laid a heavy hand upon his shoulder. “Cornelia shall marry none other than this man--Prince Schneider! Is that not so, Prince Schneider?” 

“Huh?” Steiner blurted, seemingly reanimating on the spot. His cheeks tinged faintly with color as he appeared to comprehend what Baku had said to him. “M-Marry the princess? Me!?”

Garnet fell behind Marcus, who took a protective stance against King Leo. 

“Aye!” The King blustered--his lips curled into a mean snarl. “So this traitorous crew--the lot of ye--I will put to death!”

“Try it!” Zidane yelled. 

On cue, the masked henchmen beside the King dove to snatch Zidane and Marcus by the arms. Zidane and Marcus wrestled free easily, kicking and shoving the henchmen as they went. 

“Pray, sweet daughter,” begged King Leo to Cornelia. “Forget this man and come home to the castle with me--where ye belong.”

Garnet shook her head aggressively, answering in a pathetic sob. 

“Nay, Father! I shan’t return! I can’t!”

“Cornelia…” King Leo groaned, looking skyward emphatically. “Trouble me no more. This wedding is for thine own welfare. Be mindful of that.” 

“Not if I can help it!” Marcus cut in, drawing his sword. “Now is my moment of vengeance, you despicable tyrant! For my parents and for my love, Cornelia--I shall cut thee down!”

He swung his sword back dramatically, aiming sharply for the King. 

“No!” Garnet cried, throwing herself before the sword at the last moment.

It looped perfectly between her arm and hip--opposite the side of the crowd. Gasps of horror were heard throughout the audience below while the band above them drew a melancholy tune.

“N-No…” Marcus stammered, falling towards Garnet who staggered to the floor. “Cornelia!” 

“Mar...cus, forgive me,” She choked. “I have love for my father still…”

“Cornelia!” 

“Princess!” 

The King and Steiner both knelt by her in shock. 

“Prithee--” she continued, “forgive my selfishness, Father, and spare my sweet Marcus...it is...my dying wish…”

At that moment Garnet fell tragically limp upon the stage floor. Zidane struggled not to smirk at her lively performance. 

“What have I done!?” Marcus wept, pulling the ‘dead’ Cornelia into his arms. “Am I never to hear her loving voice once more!? Cursed to never again feel her soft touch?” He laid her on the floor, stepping back and drawing his sword once more. “Oh, cruel fate! Thou hast robbed me of all that I treasure! See to it that I should not live in his hell--for this pain I feel is worse than any death I could suffer…” 

He then speared himself through the chest, crumpling to the ground. 

\--------------

“Wow! What a show!” Puck, the rat kid, exclaimed.   
He snuck out from behind the nobles’ seating--Vivi following him onto the walkway. The other boy buried his face in his tall hat. 

“Yeah, so sad…” He agreed.

Puck grinned. “I’m glad we climbed all the way over here. How ‘bout you, huh?”

Vivi couldn’t answer him over the lump forming in his throat as he stared, awestruck at the stage. 

“Uh oh!” Puck said suddenly, smacking Vivi roughly on the arm. “We’ve gotta move!” 

“H-huh?”

“Hey you--trespassers!” An angry voice called from across the room.

Two of the castle’s knights were charging down the walk way towards them. In his panic, Vivi ran after Puck, the knight’s yelling growing louder and more aggressive behind him.

“Come back here!”

Struggling to catch up, Vivi tripped on his own feet and hurdled face-first into the dirty stone floor. 

Puck staggered for a moment, groaning irritably at Vivi. 

“Fool! I’m outta here!” He yelled, dashing around the corner and out of sight. 

\----

“Leave me alone!” Vivi cried, huffing as he ran from the pursuing knights. 

They led him through the crowd all the way up to the barricade where the cool glow of the dimming stage lights fell across the floor. 

Without consideration, he climbed up onto the nearest escape he could find--the main stage. 

“Stop!”  
“Come back here!” 

Vivi instinctively ducked behind Marcus--who still lay, speared on the floor. 

“D-don’t come any closer!” He yelped, his voice and outstretched hands wavering. 

Suddenly, a hot beam of light shot out from his open palms. The fire spread widely--catching Garnet, who was also still in position, on the back of her hood. 

She screamed and wretched, quickly unclipping her cloak and throwing it to the floor where she stomped on it aggressively. She stood, shaking and panting--staring at the singed garment with wide, fearful eyes. 

“Zidane!” Called Baku--already heading back stage, “It’s time!”

Zidane lurched forward, hastily pulling at the stunned Garnet’s wrist. “Princess Garnet! We have to leave!” He warned her, turning for the backstage. 

“What--What is going on here?!” Demanded Steiner, reaching for the Princess’s forearm. 

She yanked her arm back, looking fiercely offended. 

“Steiner! Don’t follow me anymore!”

He looked at her, pained--as if he were having a great internal debate with himself. 

“Princess--I’m afraid I cannot comply!”

Garnet sighed. “Stubborn as always, aren’t you?”

Zidane groaned, tightening his grip around Garnet’s wrist. “Come on Princess, let’s ditch Sir Rustalot and get outta here!”

She gave one last, pitiful glance towards Steiner before complying.

“Wait--Princess--!”

On his way, Zidane nearly trampled over a person he quickly realized was lying unconscious on the stage floor. 

“Uhh...Hey! Kid! You okay?!” 

Vivi whimpered, slowly picking himself off of the ground and fixing his crooked hat. 

“Y-yeah...I just tripped, that’s all…” He answered, meekly. 

“Princess--” Steiner belted. “I simply cannot allow you to go! Seize them at once!” He ordered his knights, jamming a finger in the air at Zidane and Garnet.

Marcus fell beside Zidane and sneered at him. 

“Hey friend, you need some help?”

“Hah!” Zidane laughed, releasing Garnet and drawing his dagger. “You wish!”

“Here--Catch!” Marcus yelled to Garnet, tossing a prop staff in her direction.

Suddenly Blank shouted down at them from over the railing above, “We’re heading out!” He announced. “Prepare yourselves for take off!” 

The Prima Vista groaned as the large propellers overhead sprang to life. Garnet held back her long hair while the instantaneous updraft swept over them. 

“Huh?! No! My Queen!” Steiner yelled, suddenly distracted by the sight of Queen Brahne who was angrily giving orders out to her guards below all while shaking her fists wildly in a fit of rage. 

Zidane laughed openly at this, taking the opportunity to taunt her as the airship lifted from the ground. 

The ship slowly gained altitude, lifting over the channels of water surrounding the castle.

Suddenly, several large anchors connected to heavy chains came barreling at the Prima Vista, spearing the sides of the airship and scattering the glass windows of it’s circular towers.

“Watch out!” Zidane yelled, shielding Garnet and instinctively ducking for cover under the great awning over the stage. 

The ship rocked as it was wrenched back forcibly by the anchors Queen Brahne had plowed into it. Garnet staggered, now low to the floor with Zidane, bracing for the impact of the attacks. 

A second wave of spears launched at the airship, one landing center stage, violently throwing Garnet and Zidane against the back wall. 

The Prima Vista struggled against the pull of the chains--being yanked backwards all while the motor charged forwards. The back end of the ship rotated sharply, colliding with buildings that lined the channel. Over the roar of the calamity, the cries of fleeing bystanders could be heard as people threw themselves from rooftops and walls came crashing down. 

“Princess Garnet!” Zidane yelled, stumbling over to her as she struggled to pick herself off the floor. 

She knelt, crouched over, her face contorted in pain. Zidane felt his stomach turn. 

“Hey--are you okay?” He shook her shoulder. “Garnet? Garnet!”

She lifted her head and managed a nod, staring hard out across the glistening water at the castle. 

At that moment, a blinding explosion of light shot out before them--immersing everything in its path in a blazing inferno.


	4. Evil Forest, A Mysterious Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! So I decided to upload another part! I intended to write more in this part but my computer quite literally crashed as I was finishing that so I guess it’s bedtime, lol!
> 
> If you have any questions about why I made the writing choices I did please feel free to ask me about it in the comments! 
> 
> The main story will not be changed—I am simply embellishing what exists and trying to put it in a format that can be understood in a literary sense.

Chapter 3, Part 1: Evil Forest, A mysterious power

Queen Brahne leaned over the stone wall of her balcony, tightening her grip around the snapped cloth fan in her hand. Her beady eyes followed the Prima Vista as it sputtered from the cloud of smoke set by her bomb and dwindled away into the night sky. 

“Garnet…” She growled, nostrils flaring. “I never imagined you would do such a thing. Perhaps you’re not such a helpless little girl anymore.”

The Queen narrowed her eyes before calling out to her servants in her grating voice.

“Zorn! Thorn!” 

Two jesters--a pair of lanky and unusually short older fellows--one outfitted in blue, the other in red, hobbled over to the Queen and bowed obediently. 

“Is our little experiment ready?”

The blue jester--Zorn--nodded enthusiastically, his bell-hat bouncing. 

“Yes, your Majesty,” the imp answered, leering. “It is combat-ready.”

“Easily terminate Princess Garnet, it can, your Majesty!” His twin jester--Thorn--added. 

Queen Brahne turned on them, heated--glaring down maliciously at the pair over her large breast and many robes. 

“I need her alive!” She barked, receiving frantic bows of apology from her underlings. “Bring her back at once!”

\------------------------------

“Hnng..” Zidane groaned, rolling over as he came to. “Tsk! Ow…” 

His bare hand fell to his side. His ribs didn’t seem broken but they definitely felt bruised. Zidane blinked, staring hard at the brush of sharp pine-needles and twigs beneath him. His head reeling, he staggered to his feet. 

“W-where am I?” He huffed, wandering towards a billow of smoke some feet away.

Crashed between a thicket of trees lay the Prima Vista, severed down it’s middle-- a cloud of black smoke rising from it high into the air. Wreckage lay strewn haphazardly around the surrounding forest. 

“Ohh, not good…” He muttered, remembering the explosion that had devastated the airship as they escaped Alexandria. Ultimately, the engine had failed, sending the ship spiraling down some miles outside the Kingdom’s borders.  
“Hope everyone’s alright,” Zidane thought, gathering himself as he headed downhill towards the Prima Vista. 

\---------

“Just our luck to land here of all places,” Baku grumbled, staring miserably into the dark, fog-filled forest beyond the ship’s cracked windows. He sighed loudly, pulling his bottle-rimmed goggles up over his ears and wiry eyebrows. “It’s gonna get interesting…”

“What do you mean by ‘interesting,’ Boss?” Remarked Cinna, suddenly appearing from behind him. “I hear no one’s ever made it outta here alive.”

“Hmm…” Baku stroked his bushy, rouge beard thoughtfully. 

“Boss!” Blank yelled, stumbling onto the Captain’s deck. “There’s fire everywhere! It’s--It’s outta control!” He coughed, waving the smoke from his face. 

Baku growled, turning to face Blank who stared at him helplessly while clutching his side. Dried blood stained his pant leg and soot dirtied his face.

“Err! Quit yer whinin’ and get it under control!” He waddled towards the door frame from which Blank stood, the large buckles on his heavy boots jingling. “And get the wounded outta here!”

“Cinna--get our goods outta here too; weapons, items, anything we can use! There’s no way we can survive if all our stuff is incinerated!” Baku yelled out, pushing past Blank as he hurried down the hall.

\-----------

“--First we kidnap her, then we kill her! Great! We’ll hang for sure…” 

Zidane could hear Cinna moaning as he neared the ship. Red flames licked at the under belly of the Prima Vista. He hopped over a large, creeping tree into a clearing where Cinna and several other Tantalus members were carrying boxes, furniture and anything salvageable from the fire. 

Cinna gasped, nearly dropping the load he was carrying. “Zidane! Thought we’d lost you! I can’t believe you jumped when the ship was going down--you’re nuts, you know that?” 

Zidane rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “I didn’t jump off man--I got thrown out from the impact.” He glanced around warily. “So, is everyone okay?”

“Yeah,” Cinna answered, hoisting the crate he carried onto a tower of supplies near Zidane. He laughed bitterly. “We’ve all got the devil’s luck...well, for now anyway. If we don’t find that Princess, we’re all dead meat.”

Zidane paled.

“You mean--”

“That’s right, gone--totally missing! No one’s seen or heard her since the ship went down.”

“You’ve checked all the rooms? Under the rubble?” 

Cinna nodded. Zidane bit his cheek, eyeing the surrounding forest suspiciously. 

“Well, she was on the stage with me when the ship went down...if I was ejected...she must be…”

“If she’s in that forest she’s as good as dead. You better hope you find her somewhere near the crash site. I think there’s a clearing that way, by the stream.” Cinna said, pointing towards a small opening in the woods. “Don’t go in too deep though--it’s easy to get lost in here. They don’t call it the Evil Forest for nothin’.”

\-------

“Hnnah!” The ground rushed up quickly, Vivi’s feet sliding out from under him on the steep, stony incline. 

He heard a gasp followed by the crunching of pebbles under foot, nearing him. 

“Are you alright?” 

Vivi blew dust from his nose--his elbows and knees were stinging. After a moment, he felt Garnet’s dainty hands wrap around his sides as she huffed, struggling to pull him off the ground. 

Upon standing, Vivi cautiously peered behind them, into the black mouth of the forest depths below. He pulled on his cuffs nervously, his lips trembling as he spoke. 

“I-Is it still coming?”

Garnet clutched the branch she held closer but said nothing. Vivi felt his stomach give a sickening lurch. He inched backwards--suddenly feeling very vulnerable. 

Then, the ground beneath him was swallowed in shadow. Instinctively he looked up--A huge, dark mass loomed overhead--snaking quickly along the overgrowth towards the clearing where Garnet stood. Vivi stared at it, horrified, as he struggled to find his voice.

He saw Garnet turn sharply, her eyes wide with fear.

“W-Watch out!”

\----

Zidane shoved the branches out of his way, his boots and pants soaked from the calf down as he trudged through the forest, his blade drawn. 

The fog in this area was so dense he could scarcely see three feet ahead of him and it was a good deal colder too. He grit his teeth, trying to ignore the chill that raced down his spine and the numbness in his toes. 

Suddenly a high-pitched wail broke the relative silence--reverberating through the woods, causing small creatures nearby to scatter in all directions. 

Zidane strained to see in the dark, his heart rate doubling as he pushed towards what he hoped would be Garnet. After a moment he overstepped, nearly tripping as the thicket gave way to a stony clearing, bathed in cool moonlight. 

He recognized the figure lying nearest to him to be the same boy from before--the one he almost tripped over on stage back in Alexandria. His pointed tan hat was slumped backwards as he recoiled in fear from a dark blob before him. 

The boy turned, hearing Zidane approach. He pointed a shaking finger at the thing up ahead. 

“Sh-She’s in trouble…” He wept. 

Zidane stepped closer, his jaw dropping as he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.

“...What the hell is that?”

The thing was covered in brown, crusty reptilian skin. It was stocky with a set of clawed toes poking out from under it’s girthy body. It had two long, tentacle-like arms, feathered with spikes, which it swayed around itself like knotted whips. Occasionally a row of glistening, jagged teeth appeared from the belly of the thing. Atop its head it wore a fleshy crown--acting like a cage--and inside that cage lay Garnet, unconscious. 

Zidane also noticed that the Captain of the Knights of Pluto--Steiner--was here with his sword drawn, demanding that the monster release the princess. 

He tightened his fist around his dagger, hurrying towards Steiner and the monster. 

“Hey, dunderhead!” Zidane called to Steiner. “Stop yelling! Like it’s really gonna listen to you!” 

Steiner turned, bewildered, at Zidane as he approached, his sallow cheeks and forehead glistening with a sheen of sweat. 

“Actions do more than words! Come on!” Zidane yelled, racing towards the monster at full speed. 

He jammed his blade into the monster’s side, crying out as it’s spiked arms slashed him across the chest, throwing him to the ground. He huffed, clenching his jaw so tightly it hurt while retching himself back onto his feet. His stomach burned fiercely--as if fire blistered under his skin. Zidane noticed blood pooling beneath his white shirt where he’d be hit.

Steiner followed suit, ramming his sword into the monster’s gut. The monster gurgled and flexed the fleshy cage upon its head. Zidane noticed Garnet stirring at the movement. Her dark eyes fluttered open briefly. Zidane caught her gaze but she continued searching, erratically, as though despite being conscious she was unable to see. Garnet’s lips were white like marble--her bangs plastered to her forehead. Her arms trembled violently as she attempted to right herself. Where ever she touched she retracted from quickly, as though it stung, crying weakly before slumping over again.

“Is it...poisoning her?” Zidane thought wildly.

Although he struggled not to, the image of Garnet--who, only hours ago had smiled at him--beautiful and flushed--raced through his mind. He remembered the sound of her sweet laughter, ringing through the air like tinkling bells, as he chased her onto a tent, overhanging the Prima Vista. Now, he experienced that same strange tightening in his chest that he had felt the first time he laid eyes on her in the darkness of the castle stairwell. 

Then his fantasies became nightmarish. He envisioned her, dying slowly and painfully right before his eyes, her flesh being melted away by whatever acid this monster oosed and nothing he did could stop it from happening. 

His throat tightened, his mouth bitterly dry. 

“No,” He thought, suddenly feeling his body tense as adrenaline surged through him, lighting up every fiber of his being. A blistering desire bursted from his chest--a primal need stronger than anything he’d ever felt. The wound he had sustained seemed as though it was evaporating into thin air. 

“No, I won’t let that happen!” He finished, glaring hard at Garnet’s helpless body.

“W-What is that light!?” Steiner sputtered from beside him, his metal suit clanking as he staggered back from Zidane. 

Zidane blinked, glancing around frenziedly. Everything was suddenly brighter, he noticed--more vibrant. Sounds seemed amplified. Time seemed to slow down around him. Looking down, he realized that great sparks of energy appeared to physically leap from his body while his skin glowed with a brilliant rosy-light. 

“I...I don’t know…” Zidane murmured, finding it suddenly difficult to breathe. 

This feeling was so intense that it overwhelmed him. Was he losing his mind or was this actually happening? He noticed that on his outstretched hand, which tightly gripped the dagger before him, his fingernails appeared to be lengthening--sharpening. Colors ran wildly through his eyes. Everything seemed to be tainted in a glowing, pinkish haze. 

“Somehow...it’s raising my power...I can feel it.”

“Could that be...trance?” Steiner gasped, sounding as though he was witnessing some divine intervention. “In legend--it’s rumored to be a magic power induced by a surge of emotion but I never thought that--that it could actually--”

Zidane breathed sharply, baring his teeth and flexing his arms. “I don’t have time to worry about that right now! Either help me or get the hell out of my way!” 

Without hesitating, Zidane rushed at the monster head on. Somehow, he felt that he now instinctively knew exactly where to hit it to inflict the most damage. 

He lept around the monster, striking it left and right, so quickly that he scarcely felt the ground beneath his feet. He didn’t know why but he was exploding with some kind of supernatural energy and he could think of nothing in that moment besides rescuing Garnet and slaying the beast that had threatened her life.

“Arghh!” 

He brought his blade down across one of the fleshy arms of the cage that held Garnet captive. He could see now that the monster was attempting to absorb her life energy directly--electric blue light waves seeped from her body into the repulsive beast that drained it from her. 

He cried out furiously while tearing across the monster with his dagger. A hot liquid gushed from it onto his leg. 

Steiner thrust his sword into the opposite side of the beast at exactly the same moment. The thing wailed a terrible, high pitched sound and threw it’s long arms up at the forest above, disappearing instantly through the overgrowth. 

Zidane and Steiner both fell to the ground, equally stunned. 

Zidane felt the exploding energy dwindling from his body as quickly as it had come. He knelt over the rubble, panting, frozen, as Trance left him like a warm liquid running down his spine and dissipating through his hands and feet into the cold, hard ground below. 

Steiner’s noisy suit of armor rattled as he jumped to his feet. 

“Princess! Princess!” He called, desperately into the throng of branches overhead. 

Zidane glanced around, slowly regaining his composure. 

“What--What the heck?” He gasped, scanning the area hastily. “Where did they go?”

“She’s gone…” Vivi mumbled in a tiny voice, so quietly Zidane nearly missed it. 

Zidane glanced in his direction briefly--his mind still busy with the thought of finding her. 

“I was too scared to cast any spells…” Vivi continued, louder this time. “That monster’s probably gonna eat her…” 

Zidane and Steiner both stopped pacing and turned to look at Vivi, who was clutching his hands to his chest and bowing his head low to the ground. 

Steiner’s brow furrowed pitifully as he smacked himself roughly on the forehead with his fist. “How could I let this happen?!” He hissed.

Zidane flicked his tail irritably across the rocky ground, stomping past both of them to look out over the cliff top. “Don’t worry. She’s not dead yet.” He narrowed his eyes at the abyss below, drowned by creeping vines and twisting foliage. “That monster was only a minion. He’s probably gonna take her to his master.”

A moment of silence fell over them before Steiner began pacing again with vigor. 

“That means the princess might still be--Come! We must go find her at once!”

Zidane flexed, turning to face them, but in that instant another creature dropped from above.

The creature scooped Vivi up as quickly as it descended. 

“Another one?!” Zidane thought, leaping backward while pulling his dagger. “Are we near a nest?”

Before either Steiner or Zidane could rush to Vivi’s aid a brilliant burst of fire exploded from within the creature’s fleshy cage. Vivi’s large yellow eyes glowed behind his wide-brimmed hat. He knelt from within the beast with his arms outstretched and his palms open--the gloves still red hot. 

The beast momentarily staggered, it’s right tentacle singed from the fire.

“It’s not regenerating…” Zidane mused. “Kid! Whatever you just did worked! Can you do it again?”

“Nnngh...I-I’ll try!” Vivi called from within the cage. 

He closed his eyes, stretching his arms out to either side of him. Not a moment later his gloves burned red hot again and fire blasted out from both of his open palms with immense force. The beast wailed, thrashing helplessly as it was burned from the inside. Finally, it seized and then collapsed--it’s fleshy cage withering, revealing a stunned Vivi from within. 

“Nice!” Zidane cheered, sheathing his weapon as Vivi hopped onto the ground. 

Vivi panted, his shoulders rising and falling as he waddled—shaking—towards Zidane and Steiner. Zidane tilted his head curiously.

“Hey, you alright?” 

“Y-yeah...I think so…”

Suddenly, a strange hissing, bubbling sound came from the monster behind them and it gushed a great fountain of white foam from its mouth. 

“W-woah watch out!” Zidane yelled, jumping back. 

The white goop began steaming—some of it now on Steiner and Vivi. 

“Why do I feel so dizzy?” Steiner groaned, collapsing to his knees. 

Vivi fell flat against the ground mere seconds later, rendered unconscious.

Zidane could feel the effects of the monster’s vapor as well. The forest around him was swaying and his ears were ringing. He quickly covered his nose and mouth in the crook of his elbow. 

“We have to get back…” he thought, “I have to get help..”


	5. Evil Forest, A Promise To Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well this was a really fun chapter to write! Picks up in the game right where the previous left off! At this point we are a little over an hour and a half into the actual game. I've got my work cut out for me that's for sure! I can't promise how quickly chapters will come in the future--I write them as I feel inspired to do so in order to guarantee the best quality--but your feedback certainty helps to inspire me!

Chapter 3, Part 2: The Evil Forest, A Promise to Keep

Vivi blinked, disoriented. He realized, as he came to, that he was lying on a bed in a dark and unfamiliar room. The ceiling and walls were lined in wood paneling. A single white candle, perched upon a rusty wall holder, flickered from above him. 

“You guys are lucky,” A voice said to his left. Vivi glanced over and saw that a young man with dense, crimson red hair and a badly scarred face was standing over him. “If it weren’t for Zidane, you’d both be dead.”

He shoved his hand into the leather satchel he carried. “Some of the monsters in this forest reproduce by planting seeds in other animals,” He explained. “And when the seeds sprout, it’s hasta ‘la vista--you become beef jerky.”

Vivi recalled the mysterious white goop that had exploded from the monster while in the forest. He glanced down at his leg nervously, remembering how the substance had seeped through his clothing.

“Um...A-Am I gonna die?” He asked, fearing the answer he might receive.

“No. You’re gonna be fine,” The man procured a small corked vial containing a thick purple liquid and passed it to Vivi. “Here, drink this. It’ll remove all the seeds from your body.”

Vivi couldn’t help but grimace from the fishy odor the disturbing liquid gave off. Regrettably, he brought it to his mouth and downed it quickly.

\------------

“I’m coming Princess…” Steiner moaned weakly, staring pitifully at the floor as he walked. 

One of the larger Tantalus members--a hog-faced man wearing a silver chest plate and a leather mask pushed him down a narrow hallway inside the Prima Vista. He blinked, trying to focus on steadying himself as he walked. The floor rippled like water beneath him—colors running together like a splotchy oil painting. 

“I must just be imagining it,” he convinced himself. “Yes, just a remnant of the effect of those fumes, nothing more. I have no time to waste here; by now the princess could be—“

Steiner glanced to his right as they approached a long descending staircase. He turned sharply, clutching the railing as he stumbled down them with haste. 

Just then, another hog-man stepped out of the shadows, blocking his path.

“Stand aside!” Steiner ordered in his most authoritative voice.

The hog man wrinkled his snout at him and charged forward, forcing Steiner to stagger back up a few steps. 

“Room behind you. Go,” He demanded, shoving him roughly on the chest. 

Steiner stared at the gargantuan man, appalled. “The princess...is in grave danger!” 

Why were these men trying to keep him from her? After all of the trouble they went through to kidnap her? Was he the only one here who cared about her life?

“Do you intend to abandon her!?” Steiner howled. 

“You’re in no condition,” The larger man answered firmly. 

“Don’t worry about the princess,” The other hog-man added, throwing open the door beside him and shuffling Steiner inside the small room. “The boss’ll think of something.”  
Steiner suddenly became frantic. How was he expected to trust men such as this? They had kidnapped the princess after all and seemed to have no consideration for status or etiquette! 

“Hey! Stop!” He cried, struggling against them. 

The men ignored him, completely unfazed by his attempts to escape. “Get some rest.” The first one said. “Yeah, and take that medicine I gave you!” Called his twin from behind him. 

They slammed and locked the door, muttering to each other as they walked away, leaving Steiner alone to pace the dreary storage room. With only a surplus of dusty drums and tambourines as his company, Steiner glanced up at the small window above him. The window was round and high--no larger than the palm of his hand--certainly not large enough to escape through. 

“Dammit...I can’t just stand here…” He sighed. “The princess’s life rests in my hands. What can their boss possibly accomplish!?”

He sauntered over to a tiny wooden table and slowly rolled the vial they had given him around in his glove. The thick, purple liquid inside sloshed repulsively.   
He popped the cork and gave it a cautious sniff.

“This medicine...it smells terrible…and the color...this is obviously poison!”

He sealed it instantly, dropping it onto the table beside him. He staggered, clutching the sides of the table--his heart rate suddenly doubling while his vision blurred.

Steiner panted, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. Cold chills racked his body mercilessly. 

“Hah...ugh...I can’t take it anymore!” He lamented, his knees giving way as he stumbled to the floor. “God help me!”

The vial rolled off the table, falling into his lap. He picked it up with trembling hands, staring at it timorously.

“What choice do I have? They said that which ails me is like a parasite...but how can I trust that this wouldn’t kill me as well?”

Steiner weighed his options, already burdened with nausea and vertigo. As if the action pained him, he hesitantly popped the corked and swallowed the unsightly substance in one gulp. 

\----------

“Forget it,” Baku growled, arms crossed. 

From his Captain’s deck, he glared down at Zidane who paced the room and flicked his tail in frustration. 

“Monsters born out of the Mist are crawlin’ everywhere boy,” He continued. 

Zidane stopped, turning sharply on Baku. “So what? There’s nothing out there we can’t handle!”

Baku wrinkled his snout, glowering at him disdainfully. “Yeah, but what are we gonna do about the wounded?”

“We can take ‘em with us!”

Baku scoffed, stomping over to a cabinet under the stairs. He threw the small doors open, revealing shelves that overflowed with old books, maps and loose parchment. 

“Tell me, how are we gonna carry all of them? The wounded are a burden in battle and in travel. Our best bet at survival is laying low until we can get the ship back up and running. Going out as is would be suicide.”

He yanked from the shelving, a thick leather-bound book with gold lettering reading: “Engine Maintenance” stamped on the cover and slammed it down on a drafting table across the room. 

“Our own come before outsiders, you know this,” Baku lectured, wetting his finger as he thumbed through the pages. “It’s too bad though, she was quite a beaut, that one. But it’s just too reckless--too stupid--I can’t be concerned with saving her now.”

Zidane tightened his fists, kicking the staircase in exasperation. He clenched his jaw, struggling to restrain himself before his boss. 

Then he huffed loudly, tromping for the doorway.

“You better not set one foot outside this ship, Tribal! You got that!?” Baku threatened in his booming voice, not even bothering to chase after him.

Zidane whipped around, his face flushed in anger. “I can’t believe you’re abandoning her!” He shouted. “You’re nothing but a big coward!”

Without wanting for response, Zidane stormed down the hallway, slamming the door behind him as he left.

\-----

Steiner, now considerably less compromised, had taken to wandering around his small confinement, searching for some area of weakness or exit. 

“The structure is in poor condition,” He muttered to himself. “Perhaps I can break out by ramming into the wall.”

He pushed against it with all his might, although his efforts were in vain. Then, an idea struck him.

“Fire! Fire!” He hollered, banging on the wall. “Let me out at once!”

Silence followed. Steiner exhaled loudly, his shoulders slumping.

“I’m still feeling unwell…” He admitted, drifting back to the small wooden table in the center of the room. He slumped onto it, twiddling his thumbs and pouting sullenly.

Something hiding near his left foot, under a pile of equipment, caught his eye. Steiner leaned down and scooped the thing up, turning it inquisitively. 

“What an ugly doll…” He commented. It was a dirty rag doll with black button eyes and brown yarn hair. It wore a tacky pink dress. The seams on the doll were haphazard--as if sewn by a child--the stuffing exposed from one side. He flipped it over reading the messy scribbling on it’s back. “Princess Garnet, age 15!?”

He scowled, his heavy brows furrowing. “H-How dare they write the princess’s name on such a ragged doll! Besides, the princess is not 15! She’s 16!”  
His grip on the doll loosened. Steiner stared down at it sadly. 

“...Princess…”

\---------

Zidane fled down the stairs, still fuming. Upon reaching the bottom landing he noticed Blank, standing with his back to the wall and arms crossed. 

Zidane cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I gave that black mage some medicine,” Blank said. “He’ll be alright.” He pointed to the small door behind him. “Why don’t you go see him? I think he wants to thank you.”

Zidane chewed on his lip, mulling it over for a moment before pushing past Blank and opening the door to one of the ship’s many bedrooms.

The room was dim--dresser drawers hung open, beds lay unmade. In the far right corner a single candle flickered, under which an occupied bed sat. 

Being chary, Zidane closed the door behind himself and padded over to the bed where Vivi laid. Vivi jumped, startled awake by Zidane’s arrival. He sat upright, scooting to the edge of the bed. 

“Th-Thank you for helping me.”

Zidane gave a slight smile, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Ah, don’t mention it. Besides, it was your black magic that saved the day. Outta give yourself more credit. You know, you’ve got some major power for such a little guy.”

Vivi didn’t answer. He lowered his head, blinking at the floor. 

Zidane shifted, crossing his arms. “What’s wrong?” He gave a humorless chuckle. “Are you peeved at me because I called you little? Hey, you’re a great mage with great powers, alright? To hell with looks! It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” He answered, proudly pounding a fist to his chest. 

Vivi’s gloves tightened around the bed covers. 

“I’m sorry…” He began timidly. “When that monster caught her I...couldn’t do anything…”

Zidane puffed his chest, flexing his shoulders and curling his tail. “Hey, don’t worry about the princess,” he said. “I’ll get her back. I promise.”

Vivi slowly looked back up at Zidane--his glowing, yellow eyes wide. “Thank you, Mr. Zidane.”

Zidane laughed awkwardly, rocking on his heels. “Whoa, that’s the first time anyone’s called me ‘Mr.’ Just call me Zidane, alright?”

Vivi nodded. 

“Alright, Zidane.”

\-----

Zidane closed the bedroom door, scratching the back of his head as he walked into the hall. Due to all of the damages, fog had begun to fill the room from the surrounding forest, making the dim hallway feel even colder and gloomier. 

“Geez, he was pretty down,” Zidane mused. “Maybe I shouldn’t have made that promise.” He peered up at the moonlight cascading down from a high-up window, draping a milky spotlight on the decorative wooden railing below. “I don’t even know if I’ll be able to find her…”

The image of the princess—morbidly pale, sickened with sweat—burned within his mind’s eye. He remembered with ferocity, the absolute thrill of power that had exploded from within him as he struggled to save her—‘Trance’ Steiner had called it. 

Zidane leaned against the railing, lost in thought. 

“But why?” He mouthed, eyes fixed on the floor. 

Memories of Garnet’s eyes—wide—dancing with candlelight as she met with his for the first time by the grand castle stairwell in Alexandria, flooded his mind.   
Zidane’s hand fell to his chest—his heart rate doubling at just the thought of it-- of how she had made his knees weak with no more than a glance. 

“Man...I’ve never felt so strange,” he admitted. Zidane narrowed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts. “Maybe...Maybe fate brought us together...I mean, why else would I…? I can’t explain it…” 

Her beautiful smile, her glowing cheeks, her soft skin, the ethereal way in which she carried herself—almost as though she were too fantastical, too unbelievable to be real. It felt as though there was some unknown magic pulling him towards her—something he had no name for.

Zidane had known and appealed to many women in his life, in fact, it was a skill he prided himself in greatly, maybe more than his thievery. 

But this feeling...what she was continuing to do to him, even in her absence… it was unlike anything he had ever known. It was intense...exhilarating...terrifying maybe, but he knew one thing for certain—Garnet wasn’t like all of the others—she was different somehow…

“Man, I can’t stop thinking about her…” Zidane whispered, now sitting on the bottom step with his head in his hands. 

After a moment he opened his eyes, gazing at the floor. He furrowed his brow and then blinked, bolting upright--his golden hair dancing around his warm cheeks. 

“Yeah! What’s there to think about anyway? She’s cute and she’s in trouble--that’s all that matters!” 

He leapt to his feet, turning for the arch way on his left. Blank was walking towards him through the opening--his red hair obvious even in the dense fog. 

“There you are,” He said, drawing closer to Zidane. As he approached his face contorted. He stepped back, folding his arms over his chest. “Why do you look so serious? Uh-oh...what are you up to this time?”

“I’m gonna take that knight and the black mage to find the princess,” Zidane answered simply, looking very pleased with himself. 

Blank’s jaw dropped. “You’re crazy! Man, you don’t even know what’s out there. Besides, there’s no way the boss’ll allow that.”

Zidane deflected his gaze past Blank, staring hard down the dark hallway behind him. 

“I know…”

Blank huffed hotly. “Sheez...why do you always gotta play the hero?” His usual flat-toned voice wavered. Zidane knew Blank was fuming. “The boss is gonna kill you.” He looked him up and down quickly. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go talk to him.”

Zidane said nothing but took his leave, pushing past Blank into the black hallway beyond. 

\------

“Only one other place he’d be,” Zidane thought, turning the door handle to the storage room that led into the usual meeting area. 

He saw the lantern light glowing from under the heavy double doors across the dark room and knew Baku would be right behind that door. 

He licked his lips, straightened his posture and slowly approached the room. 

“Hmpfh, took you long enough,” Baku grumbled, picking himself off the floor. “I fell asleep, darn it.”

He paused, looking Zidane up and down, his hands resting on his belt. 

“So, if I know you--which I do--I’d bet you’re about to tell me you’re leaving, eh?”

“Yeah…” Zidane answered firmly, maintaining strict eye contact with his boss. “I promised Garnet I’d kidnap her.”

A cocky grin broke out over Baku’s round face as his stomach shook with laughter. “Gwahaha! I didn’t ask you why, boy!” His smile wrinkled his eyes--goggles pushed to his forehead. “I can’t blame you, though. She’s damn beautiful. Haha--well, guess that’s reason enough?” His expression fell slightly as he cracked his knuckles. “I hope you’re ready--cause I’m gonna bust you up for breakin’ the rules!”

Zidane’s expression was careful and unchanging. He deserved this--he knew the consciences--but it was the price he had chosen to pay and he had to stick by that choice.

“...Alright.”

Baku kicked the door to the storage room open. “Okay, get your butt over to the cargo room. We got more room there.”

Upon entering the cargo room, the boss flicked the hanging oil lanterns on. A large, weathered rug with a colorful dragon print on it lay across the dusty wood floor. Pine crates and netted bottles lined the walls of the room. Baku stood nearly ten feet opposite Zidane, stretching his arms and neck. 

“I aint holdin’ back,” Baku warned, pulling a long sword from beside his left hip.

“I know.”

Zidane narrowed his eyes, drawing twin blades from either side of his belt. Suddenly, Baku rushed at him, thrusting his sword high into the air. Zidane dodged to the right, narrowly missing him as he counter attacked. 

“You gotta fight better than that!” Baku sneered. 

Zidane grit his teeth, clashing blades with Baku before being thrown back by the force. Baku charged at him again. Zidane jumped up over top Baku and roughly pulled his leather cap down over his eyes. 

“Rrrgh!” Baku groused something incomprehensible, fumbling clumsily at his face. 

Zidane gave a rough kick to the backside of Baku’s knees sending him tumbling to the floor with a heavy thud. 

“Ahh, Goddammit! Alright, you win!” Baku laughed, still crouched over in pain. He ripped the cap and goggles from his head, tossing them to the floor. He looked irritated to be losing and yet, he smiled at Zidane knowingly. “I’ll be damned…” He coughed. “Of all the dirty tricks...but I’d expect no less from a Tantalus--from you. Had I been anyone else, you’d have paralyzed me and stolen all of my goods.” 

With a grunt, he pulled himself to his feet, towering over Zidane with his impressive height and size. “Bravo!” He laughed, gifting Zidane a swift punch in the gut before turning to leave. “Go find your princess!”

Zidane gasped, winded, and fell to his knees--reeling over the nausea he felt as he clutched his stomach. “Damn, that hurt! He pulled his punches ‘til that last one.”

Someone opened the door to his left. Zidane glanced up and saw Blank, walking towards him while twirling a skeleton key on his pointer finger. “Way to go Zidane. I unlocked the door to the storage room that Knight’s held up in, so you’re free to go talk to him.” 

Zidane stared at him wordlessly for a moment. There was no thanks--although Blank was his usual, collected self on the exterior, Zidane knew him better than that. Instead of worrying about it though, he turned, pushing through the door up ahead, thinking of nothing but fulfilling the promise he intended to keep.


	6. The Evil Forest, Rescue the Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see, huh? I finally wrote another chapter, and this one will end the "Evil Forest" section. I've decided that, unless I have some great reason not to do so, I'm going to keep giving the chapters a 'location title' first and then a secondary title more based on the scenes within that particular location.. a bit of a reference to the way games introduce you to locations and remind you of where you are at any given point.   
> You'll notice I switched some minor things around (but of course I embellished stuff too!), so I hope that you like or at least don't mind that.  
> I love reading your reviews so if you want to leave one please feel free! Thank you for checking out my work!

The storage room door creaked open. Zidane saw Steiner huddled up by a small table, looking stupidly pitiful, a rag doll in his hands. Steiner tossed it quickly and clamored to his feet but Zidane wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Come on. You’re too old to be playing with a doll.”

“Silence!” Steiner began--his face twisting up while his cheeks flushed a splotchy red. “A scoundrel like you could never understand! I’m just overwhelmed with concern for the princess!” He bat his fists roughly at the air in a sort of fit. “If only you rogues hadn’t kidnapped her! This is all your fault!” He paced erratically, flipping around to shove a finger rudely in Zidane’s face. “If anything should happen to the princess I will have your head!”

Zidane rolled his eyes, resting his hands on his hips. “Pshh...take it easy. Geez… I’m gonna go look for her now. If you’re done throwing your tantrum, I’ll let you come with me. Well, if you promise to be good. What d’ya say, Rusty?”

Steiner’s eyes grew wide. “R-R-Rusty!?” He sputtered, bewildered. “I am Adelbert Steiner, Captain of the Knights of Pluto, and I will never work with you conniving thieves!”

Zidane strut around him, making a point to look him up and down dramatically. “Captain? I figured you were a private, what with that cheap, rusty armor…”

He saw Steiner’s mouth fall open, flabbergasted, as he threatened a rebuttal. Zidane stopped him.

“Look, this has nothing to do with Tantalus. It’s something I decided to do on my own. I just wanted to save Garnet, that’s all.”

Steiner scowled, shaking his fists at Zidane again. “Hmmpfh! You had better not be lying! Because if you are--I won’t hesitate to kill you!” He finished through a cold, piercing glare. 

Zidane shifted, cocking an eyebrow at him in contempt. “Yeah, yeah. I’m counting on you, Rusty.”

“Make no mistake,” Steiner continued. “I’m only going with you to rescue the princess! I will deal with you personally when this is over!”

Zidane turned, waving his hand in the air as he strode to the door. “...Whatever.”

Steiner spoke louder, his voice more level. “It may be difficult with just the two of us. We should seek Master Vivi’s help as well.”

Zidane faced him, tilting his head to the side, his eyebrow twitching. “Why are you calling him ‘Master’?”

Steiner huffed, staring at Zidane irritably. “You fool. That black mage has unimaginable powers…” He glanced to the floor, appearing briefly ashamed. “I don’t want to get him involved, but alas, in this situation… it can’t be helped. We absolutely need Master Vivi’s great powers to rescue the princess.”

Zidane chewed on his tongue absently, silent for a moment, before turning towards the door again. He waved for Steiner to follow him. “Alright, let’s go talk to Vivi then.”

\-----------------------------

When Zidane opened the dark bedroom again he scarcely saw Vivi’s pointed hat silhouetted by the quaint candle which flickered above him. The bed creaked and the sheets ruffled.

“Z-Zidane,” Vivi’s meek voice came.

Vivi turned his shimmering gaze on Zidane--his eyes like two burning flames in a void of blackness. Steiner’s metal suit clinked noisily behind Zidane as he followed him to Vivi’s bedside. 

“Well, Vivi,” He began, “we’re ready to go look for the princess.”

Vivi beamed. “Really? That’s great! Be careful, okay?”

Zidane scratched the back of his head. “Actually...we want you to come with us too.”

“H-huh?!” Vivi’s eyes glowed brighter and rounder as he grabbed for his own coat front nervously. “B-but...I can’t do anything…”

Before Zidane could open his mouth Steiner was rebutting him. “Hardly, Master Vivi! Your magic was highly effective against that monster. In all honesty, I hold your power in greater esteem than I do this scoundrel’s.”

Zidane huffed, rolling his eyes, arms crossed.

“B-but...I’m scared…” Vivi started, suddenly becoming very interested in a dirt stain on his pant leg. “I couldn’t even move last time…”

“Please, Master Vivi,” Steiner continued, stepping closer as his tone grew more urgent. “For the sake of Princess Garnet and all of Alexandria, I humbly request your assistance!”

Zidane breathed audibly, cutting Steiner off before he could start up again. “Come on Vivi! You’re a black mage, for crying out loud! Show us what you’ve got!”

Vivi didn’t respond, his eyes still lingering on his lap. Zidane stared down at the top of Vivi’s wide brimmed hat with some meaningful persistence as silence filled the room.

“Alright then,” Zidane finally said. “Let’s get going.”

“...okay,” Vivi answered, his voice timid. “I’ll...try my best.”

Zidane smirked, flicking his tail as he turned for the door. He could hear Steiner thanking Vivi from behind him.

“Master Vivi…” Steiner started. “It’s about your black magic. I wish to try an experiment.” His suit creaked and Steiner’s voice became so quiet that Zidane couldn’t hear his words from the hallway, however it sounded like Vivi answered with something about a ‘Magic Sword.’

\----------------------------------------------

With Vivi and Steiner somewhere down the hall, Zidane approached the wreckage of the Prima Vista which led out into the forest. Dense fog spilled into the hallway, milky and washed with moonlight. The floor to his left creaked near the wall and Zidane’s eyes darted in that direction.

“Sheesh, you really dig her huh?” A familiar voice sounded, low and irritable. 

‘Blank’ Zidane realized. His stomach turned. Although the whole of Tantalus was his family, his relationship with Blank was always the strongest. He was a brother and knew Zidane possibly the best of the troupe, usually being his right hand man in any situation. He felt the sting of betrayal in Blank’s tone. 

“I can’t sit around knowing a girl’s in trouble,” Zidane responded. “Goes against my nature.”

He heard Blank huff, his voice growing colder. “Whatever. You’re full of crap.”

Zidane shoved down the growing agitation in his chest and laughed bitterly.

“Ohh, I get it,” He teased. “You’re jealous that I’m gonna get me a sweetie pie!”

“Pshh.. She’s not even my type.” Blank replied, moving towards Zidane. He tossed something in his direction. “I came down here to give you this.” 

Zidane caught it, glancing down at the bottle and wrinkling his nose at Blank. “You’re always thinking about me...but I won’t need a love potion to reel this one in.”

Blank groaned loudly. “Why don’t you get your mind off girls for a second? This is the medicine I gave to that black mage and the Knight. It’s sort of like a seed remover.”

Zidane paused before slipping the murky violet-colored potion into his right pocket. “Cool. This’ll come in handy.”

He turned for the exit again, but Blank’s voice stopped him after several paces.

“Why am I always helping you…?” He said, almost to himself. 

“For what it’s worth, thanks Blank,” Zidane said after a moment, waving half heartedly as he disappeared into the fog. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

“Hmph...how about never…”

\-------------------

Zidane threw his blade down on yet another plant-monster decimating it instantly. 

“We’ve been wandering through this forest for hours and yet, they still keep coming!” 

“I-I think there’s been more of them the further down this tunnel we go…” Vivi said, fearfully. 

Zidane glanced up at the creeping vines enveloping the natural tunnel before them. The moonlight behind them was slowly dwindling, heavy moss curtains hung overhead as the devil’s ivy thickened under foot. He could see arachnid-like creatures with thorny, spindly arms and huge pinkish flower-like faces scattering ominously overhead.   
“There!” Steiner pointed down the tunnel and to the left. “That must be the exit.”

There was a white spotlight at the end of the tunnel, an opening. The monsters appeared to be streaming in through there.

“O-or their home…” worried Vivi.

Zidane narrowed his eyes straining to see in the dark and hear over the buzz of the creatures over head, as they hissed and clicked, creeping nearer.

“Yeah, exactly. The heart of the Evil Forest,” he mused to himself. 

He heard Steiner yell out, slashing a monster that dropped from above. 

“Stay close!” Zidane called. “We’re going in!”

As they rounded on the entrance the thicket of monsters and moss became nearly overwhelming--Steiner and Zidane slashing wildly from left to right while Vivi helplessly swat at the air with his staff.

A thunderous roar shook the ground beneath them, nearly costing Vivi his footing.

“W-what is that thing?!” Steiner bellowed, bewildered, jabbing a sharp finger at the clearing before them. 

The tunnel gave way into a narrow trench leading to a small hill, covered in thick vines. Rooted into the peak of the hill was a gargantuan monster with a pink flower head similar to its offspring and four thick whip-like appendages which it swung haphazardly about itself. It was covered in a brown, flaking ‘sleeve’--looking similar to a dead leaf--from which impressive thorns protruded. Zidane could see that the ‘arms’ beneath that were a sickly green, sticky and covered in smaller barbs. Some kind of mucus oozed from the center of it’s flower head and puddled on the ground beneath it. It made an eerie sizzling sound.

“So, this is the master,” Zidane said, clutching his blades tighter.

“Princess! There she is!” Vivi cried, pointing behind the monster to the far wall where Garnet, unconscious and a ghastly white, was pinned against a tree by a throng of creeping vines. Her head hung forward, obscuring her face with her hair.

“Princess!” Steiner screamed. He turned on Zidane, his eyes blazing. “You stay out of this! Alexandria would be disgraced if a mere bandit should rescue the princess!”

Zidane clenched his jaw. “Okay, so you think you can handle him on your own then Rusty?”

Steiner was silent but Zidane didn’t wait for his retort. He dashed at the beast, who although massive, was slow and drove his dagger into its side. It howled, spitting the acid-like goop from it’s tiny mouth.

Suddenly the creature’s large tentacle-arm came swinging overhead and Zidane ducked. He noticed Vivi standing awkwardly nearby.

“Watch out!” Zidane yelled at him, but it was too late. Vivi, being far less agile, was thrown back with impressive force.

“Master Vivi!” Steiner called out, running to help the small mage up. 

Zidane ripped his blade out of the monster and hopped onto it’s back, using his tail as he struggled for levage. He drove a dagger into the monster as it threatened to fling him off.

“Whew, I made it just in time!” A familiar voice echoed through the clearing.

“Huh?” Zidane glanced towards the sound, briefly distracted. He saw a bob of messy bright red hair nearing them through the fog. “Blank!” 

“Zidane, watch it!”

Before Zidane could react one of the sticky, barbed arms slashed him across the back causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground. 

Dripping in sweat, he rolled to the trench beneath where the rest of his party stood, clutching his exposed arm as he wretched himself up. The beast had taken a nasty gash out of his bicep--it bled profusely and burned like fire.

“Stand aside I’ll take this,” Blank ordered.  
Zidane grit his teeth and then laughed through the pain. “Heh, I’m not dead yet, now am I?” 

He glared forward, irritated by the fact that he was now down one weapon. The silver of his dagger glinted with a green goop still stuck in the upper left shoulder of the beast. 

Steiner and Blank both took the lead, hurrying at the monster from opposite sides. 

Zidane huffed, glancing at Vivi who stood trembling at his left. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, his vision spinning. “I must be poisoned.”

“Vivi,” he started. “Are you hanging in there?”

“Y-yeah...I think so.”

“Good.” Zidane hissed, at the throbbing pain in his wounded arm. “Look, I’m gonna go get my weapon back but I need you to defend me. Can you do that?”

Vivi looked sheepish. “I...I…”

“Vivi, please I’m asking you man to man. Can I depend on you to watch my back?”

The small mage’s head dropped to the floor for a moment before slowly peering back up at Zidane. “I-I can do that.”

“Okay then,” Zidane straightened, turning for the beast. “When I say ‘now’ I need you to blast it okay? Fire or whatever it is you’ve got--aim for the face!” 

Zidane climbed up on the monster, which was already distracted by Blank and Steiner, and tore his weapon from its body. As expected, it howled and swung it’s poisonous tentacle at Zidane. 

“Now!” Zidane screamed, throwing himself off of the monster and falling down the trench to his right. 

He hit the ground hard and rolled but heard a loud ‘crack’ and an explosion from above him. A thunderous thudding sound reverberated through the mist covered forest. Steiner hollered something over the clearing and Zidane slowly made his way back up the viney slope. 

The monster laid, lifeless, charred and steaming at the peak of the hill. It’s face was black and streak marks from the fire lined the hill leading up to it. Vivi stood at the base, appearing winded, the twisted knob of his mage staff still glowing like a hot ember. 

“Princess!” Steiner wailed, thrusting his sword into the overgrowth from which she lay captive. She fell forward into his arms. He carried her to lower ground and knelt, cradling her face delicately. Her skin looked even more sickly up close, pale and glistening with sweat. “Please, get a hold of yourself!”

“Zidane,” Blank called. “The medicine?”

Zidane quickly came back to himself, shaking his head as he reached into his right pocket pulling from it, the vial Blank had given him before, mentally smacking himself for forgetting he had it.

“Right…” he knelt by Garnet, while Steiner glared at him profusely. Steiner steadied her head, lifting her as Zidane popped the cork and brought the bottle to her lips. 

She coughed, crouching forward as the color began to fill her face again.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Vivi asked tentatively. 

Before anyone could answer however, the ground under foot shook like an earthquake was happening, rocking the trees and throwing Vivi to the ground.

“Oh man! What now!?” Blank’s voice came. 

From beneath the carcass of the monster, various smaller arachnid-like creatures dug their way to the surface. They had impressive fangs, pinchers and large red blooms behind their green insect heads.

“Crap! We’re gonna be surrounded!” 

Zidane cursed. “So it was sitting on an ‘Ant Hill’?” He dashed for the exit from which they came, waving for everyone to follow. “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

They barreled through the tunnel, breaking onto solid ground, Zidane in the lead, swatting at monsters with Steiner, holding Garnet hot on his heels. The monsters kept coming, gradually surmounting them by sheer numbers. They fell from the tree tops and dug up from the ground below like moles. 

“Something’s wrong!” Zidane called. “The entire forest is coming after us!”

He glanced back at Steiner. “Run. Run and don’t stop no matter what! You got that?”

Zidane fell to the back of the group and leaned against a tree, clutching at his side. Everyone vanished through the fog...everyone but Blank. 

“What are you doing?!” He barked, reaching for Zidane’s arm. 

Zidane shook him off, holding his ground, still winded. Sweat rolled down the side of his face. His vision was spinning. “Blank…take care of everyone.”

Blank growled. “What d’you mean by that you dumbass? Come on and stop playing the hero!” He yanked harder on his arm and Zidane stumbled after him half-heartedly.

After a moment they caught up with the rest of the party--blurs in the distance, charging through the thick fog towards an opening in the dense forest. 

A burst of light shot out from Vivi’s direction, searing a wave of oncoming monsters. 

Then, Zidane noticed the temperature quickly slipping, as if an icy windstorm was tearing through the trees behind him. He whipped around just long enough to see the forest being petrified. A magic storm spread rapidly from behind them, freezing everything in its path and turning it into a kind of stone. 

“The forest is eating itself,” Zidane thought, wildly. He squinted at the narrow opening before them. The vines were crawling closer, the trees growing together. The forest was threatening to close their only exit and trap them inside it--a sort of self destruction. “And it’s gaining speed faster than we can out run it… I’ve gotta…”

Despite Blank’s orders, Zidane fell back again.   
“If only so many of us can make it through before it closes, I’d rather be the one to…”

He braced himself, prepared for the inevitable. However, at the last moment, Blank moved behind him, shoving Zidane forward aggressively.

“--Blank!”

“Go!” He bellowed, thrusting a rolled parchment high into the air as he was swept off the ground by monsters.

Zidane ran as fast as he could, stumbling to catch the paper. Thorny vines darted at him left and right. By now the rest of the party had disappeared through the opening, leaving only Zidane and the impending petrification. 

He spared no time for contemplation, the pain that wracked his body all but forgotten with the adrenaline now pumping through his veins. 

“I’ve just gotta get to the exit, I’ve just gotta get to the exit--” He thought to himself in obsessive repetition. The moonlight in the distance was becoming only a sliver.

Zidane gave one final all or nothing leap, as he threw himself between the crack. The warmer night air hit him instantly as he rolled into the clearing beyond. He groaned, quickly righting himself as he turned to look back for Blank, but all he saw were vines tightly barricading the exit. The petrification crept over the vegetation until they were still as stone and the only sound Zidane could hear was his own labored breathing and heartbeat which flooded his aching head. 

Vivi and Steiner, cradling Garnet, came to his side, staring back into the forest as dumbstruck as he.


	7. The Mist Continent, The Ice Cavern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You’ll notice I left small parts about the Moogles out because, although it’s cute and hilarious, it’s mostly just extra information for gameplay purposes and wouldn’t flow well in the sense of a novelized story-retelling.

Chapter 7  
(The Mist Continent, The Ice Cavern):

“Dammit Blank…”

Zidane clenched his jaw, the hand at his side tightening as he stared, dumbstruck at the petrified wall of overgrowth before him.  
Without warning he brought a heavy fist down on the wall, surprising the party behind him--he felt Vivi trip on his tail and stagger backwards. 

Zidane, shaking, brought his hand down again--harder this time. His chest burned so painfully he could scarcely feel the impact of his punches--his mouth, bitterly dry.

“Dammit! That idiot!” 

For a moment, all he could hear was the rumble of his own heart beat flooding his ears and his yells as they reverberated throughout the stone-still forest before him. 

“Why did you do it?” His voice fell to a whisper. “For me?” He turned over the piece of parchment in his left hand. “Blank…”

“I hope she gets well soon…” Vivi’s small voice came from behind Zidane, breaking him of his anguished stupor. 

He turned at the sound, his eyes falling over the short black mage and knight who looked woefully over the princess. Garnet was laying on the ground near a pile of wood Steiner was attempting to light. Her head was protected by a small silk handkerchief--her long brown hair messy, falling from her hair tie in great tresses over her petite body. 

Slowly, Zidane walked over to her, crouching as he slipped off his glove and pressed his hand to her forehead. She was pale and cold but laden with sweat. 

“Unhand her! Steiner barked. 

Zidane glanced up at him with disdain. 

“Do you think a filthy mongrel like yourself can just waltz up and do as he pleases to the heir of Alexandria? What disrespect...placing your dirty hands upon her elegance...not to mention, this predicament is entirely your fault!” 

Zidane’s jaw hardened, his tail flicking in subtle irritation. He swiftly turned on the knight, rummaging through a leather pouch some feet away. 

Any Tantalus member worth his weight would carry an emergency rucksack before venturing out of the Prima Vista. Zidane had asked Vivi to keep an eye on it for him before they’d gone in search of Garnet.

‘Always prepare for the unexpected--’ Baku had always told him. That, and being nomadic wasn’t at all something Zidane was unfamiliar with. 

Finding a small bottle, he downed the remaining poison antidote and rolled out the tent materials, plainly ignoring Steiner’s piercing gaze on his backside. 

“Have you nothing to say, you filth!?” Steiner roared, obnoxiously loud.

Before Zidane could respond, however, Garnet stirred from beside the small fire. 

“...Oh…” She groaned, pulling herself upright as Steiner fawned over her franticly like an overprotective parent. 

“P-Princess!” 

“...Steiner?” She managed, clearly disoriented, her voice hoarse. “...How did I survive?” Briefly, Zidane’s attention fell on Garnet. She was holding her head, squinting at Steiner. “You brought me here?”

“It is my sworn duty to protect you at any cost,” Steiner answered, not missing a beat. 

Zidane huffed, glancing quickly at Steiner and then back at Garnet. “Ppsh, what are you talking about?” He turned to the tent, firmly knotting a leather tie around a branch. “It was Vivi’s magic and my dagger that got you out of there Princess, make no mistake.” 

A moment of silence lingered. The fire popped and crickets chirped in the fog-cloaked clearing.

“I thank you both.”

Her voice came, gentle--mannered. 

Steiner’s armor creaked. “That monkey deserves no praise! None of this would have even happened if you and your band of criminals hadn’t abducted the princess! Further, how dare you claim that you have rescued her! When we get back to Alexandria, I will--”

“--Steiner…” Garnet interrupted him. “...I left the castle of my own will.”

Zidane snorted. “What a coincidence, eh? We went to snatch her and she wanted to be snatched.”

Steiner growled. “Impossible!”

“It’s true,” Garnet replied, her voice sounding distant, as if she were lost in thought.

Having finished pitching the tent, Zidane turned to the party. “So, what d’ya say Rusty? Friends? Come on, let’s just enjoy this camping trip while it lasts.”

“C-Camping?!” Steiner sputtered. “You imbecile! Surely even you must know something about the Mist!” He chidded, jabbing a finger at the clearing. “The vicious monsters it spawns! The abnormalities it stirs in the mind and body!”

His attention fell back on Garnet. “Princess, we must leave this dangerous place at once!”

Zidane groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically. “You’ve gotta be kidding. She hasn’t even fully recovered yet--as if she can go anywhere.”

“Silence!” The Knight snapped. “Who ever asked for your opinion?!”

“Alright, then you tell me big guy, how do you plan to get out of here?” Zidane crossed his arms, pacing as he gestured to the clearing. “Looks to me like we’re standing in a valley surrounded by tall cliffs and last I heard, North Gate and South Gate were sealed off.” He turned back on Steiner who glared at him wordlessly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Steiner scrunched his nose up, his heavy brow furrowing. 

Zidane knelt by Garnet, his arms crossed atop his knees. “Besides, the princess can barely walk right now. You went through this--you should know. If you were smart you’d take my advice. I think we should rest here for now.”

“Grr--I will never follow your--!”  
“--Steiner!” Zidane interrupted him, firmly planting his feet and standing straight as a board. “State your sworn duty!”

“What else!? To protect Princess Garnet Til Alexandros!”

A heated, wordless exchange fell between them as they glared at each other from across the fire. 

“...Very well,” Steiner finally answered. “But only for her sake--until the princess recovers, I will guard this place with my life.”

“Sounds good to me.”

After Steiner turned to post at the clearing beside the tent, Zidane looked over at Vivi who was twiddling the middle button on his coat, eyes locked on the fire.

“Vivi, let’s get some rest.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garnet blinked, staring up at the unfamiliar tent covering above her. Her body ached and the bitter cold lined her arms with goosebumps. She glanced down at her dirty blouse and the thin blanket wrapped around her. 

“Oh, that’s right…” At once, the memories of yesterday’s events came flooding back to her. Everything seemed so distant and bizarre--like a kind of horrible dream, only she knew for certain she wouldn’t quickly be waking up in her own bed at Alexandria castle. 

She noticed the small black mage, Vivi, huddled up across from her inside the tent. He was using his own coat as a blanket. Garnet stood, gathering her blanket and draping it over Vivi. 

“Where’s Steiner and Zidane?” She wondered, glancing at the opening of the tent. She crawled out, noticing Steiner to her right, asleep with his sword and sheath in his lap. 

The mist seemed even heavier than before, reflecting the morning sun with a white glow. She squinted across the clearing at the stony vines and tree trunks, noticing a familiar blonde thief standing at the forest’s edge. 

She shivered, walking over to him. A twig snapped under foot as she neared and Zidane’s tail curled instinctually at the sound. 

He dropped his hand from the vines and turned to face her. 

“How’re you feeling?” 

Garnet nodded. “Quite well actually, in thanks to that medicine you gave me.” She scanned the forest before them. “Could this be…?”

Zidane looked back at the forest again, a sort of bitterness in his eyes. “Yeah, I was surprised too. After we beat that big plant-guy, the forest got completely petrified.” 

Garnet held her hands to her chest. “Vivi told me last night that we were able to escape because of your friend…”

Zidane paused. “...His name is Blank.” He answered, his voice tinged with some emotion she couldn’t identify. She could tell he was quite bothered and felt briefly guilty for bringing it up. 

“We must go help him.”

Zidane shook his head. “We can’t do anything for him right now.”

“But...I can’t--”

Zidane turned to Garnet, his eyes softening. “We’ll come back for him. I’m sure there’s a way to cure him. We need to get going, extended exposure to the Mist isn’t good for us.” He pulled a piece of rolled parchment from his pocket, undoing the closure. “According to the map that Blank gave me, there’s a cavern to the south of us. Maybe we can get above the Mist by going through that cavern.” 

Garnet’s chest started to tighten. Her gaze fell to her hands as silence stretched between them. She heard Zidane walk closer.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Garnet didn’t answer. 

“Everything’s gonna be fine,” Zidane continued. Hesitantly, Garnet stared up at him. He bumped his fist to his chest, smirking playfully despite the sadness that lingered in his eyes. “Trust me.”

Garnet nodded as she forced herself to return his smile.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This must be the cavern…” Zidane said, feeling the bitter chill of a draft blowing in from a dark cave before them. 

After a day of travel and a night spent on the ridge overlooking North Gate, the group had made their way over to a stone walkway built into the side of a mountain. Icicles decorated the entrance while the ground became steadily more slick. The ominous cave howled, the mist hovering just above their heads. 

Zidane’s arm hair stood up at the feeling of the icy air inside. As they walked, he could see his breath billowing before him with what little light the tunnel was providing. He was already dreading going in here. 

“U-uhm…” Vivi began, his voice echoing in the cavern. 

Zidane answered. “What’s up, Vivi?” 

“You’ve heard of the Ice Cavern before, right?” 

Zidane hesitated. “Sure...you about to tell me this isn’t the place?”

“N-no, I think it is...It’s supposed to be near Evil Forest... Although it sounded closer when Grandpa described it…”

Suddenly Garnet interjected. “I’ve heard of it. It’s supposed to be a beautiful place, covered in ice.”

“Beautiful--really?” Zidane repeated in disbelief, rubbing his bare arms as they made their way down the dark stone opening. 

“Yeah, my Grandpa told me about this place,” Vivi said, more excitedly. “He said the cavern takes travelers above the Mist.” 

Steiner chuckled. “Bravo! Master Vivi’s Grandfather must be quite a scholar. We must thank him upon escaping the Mist!”

Vivi was quiet for a moment before speaking again, his voice lower. “My...grandpa...he used to teach me lots of things, but he passed away…”

Steiner seemed to make a weird noise in his throat. “Oh, forgive my indiscretion.” 

“Oh...no, don’t worry about it,” Vivi replied. “You didn’t know.”

Suddenly, the dark tunnel opened, giving way to a bright room which glistened with frozen vegetation and ice covered pathways. 

Zidane heard several gasps from behind him. 

“Oh! What a beautiful place! It’s just like I imagined it would be. Seeing the actual cavern with my own eyes is so much better than reading about it!” Garnet crouched down at eye level with a blue lily, holding out a gloved hand. “Oh, how pretty...I wonder what kind of flower this is?”

Steiner instantly slid over to her, nearly losing his footing in the process. “Princess! Please don’t touch anything!”

Zidane rolled his eyes, his jaw was beginning to hurt from all the chattering he was doing. “Can we get moving? I’m freezin’ here.”

As they walked, Vivi waddled up next to Zidane. After a moment Zidane noticed the side of his arm actually felt warm, he peered down and saw that Vivi was holding a tiny fire in his gloved hands. The mage glanced up at the taller boy. 

“S-sorry, you looked cold...so I thought…”

Zidane smiled. “Thanks Vivi.”

“Wow, these icicles are very impressive,” Garnet said after a moment. Zidane glanced back at her, following her gaze to the ceiling of the cavern. “They look like a chandelier of some kind--there’s so many of them. I wonder where the light they’re reflecting is coming from.” 

“They make me a little nervous to be honest,” Zidane said, studying the crystalized vines and flowers creeping up the walls of the cave. “If one of those things falls on you, well, it’s lights out.”

He noticed Vivi shrink further under his hat to the right of him. 

“Well hey, but the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim, right?” Zidane quickly followed.

“Ahh!” Garnet suddenly tripped, sliding right into Zidane’s backside. He felt her lurch out for him reflexively and he caught himself on a nearby wall. Predictably, Steiner leaped to her defense. 

Zidane glanced back, noticing Garnet’s hand was lingering on his arm. “Y’all right?” Her face was cutely flushed--her cheeks, and nose tinged a deep rouge from the cold. She seemed to realize then that she was still holding onto him for she quickly retracted, blinking bashfully. 

“Yes, apologizes.. I lost my footing.” She murmured a ‘thank you’ before Zidane continued walking.

He laughed. “You almost took me down with you. Not that I would have minded…”

Garnet was silent, Steiner grumbled something incomprehensible.

After a while, the tight, winding walk ways of the cavern opened up again to a larger area. Before them were cliff sides--several feet of ice covered slopes which dropped into short platforms twenty-feet or so below. The path became more narrow, forcing them to walk in a line, Zidane in the lead with Garnet and Steiner close behind. A great gust of wind tore through the area, making walking more difficult. 

Suddenly something snagged his tail causing him to jump. “Did I step on you?” Garnet’s voice came over the wind. “Sorry! It’s hard to see through this blizzard!”

Zidane looked back. “Where’s Vivi?” He wondered nervously. 

The familiar steepled hat of the young black mage suddenly appeared from the flurry. He was barely moving, maybe ten feet behind the rest of them.  
“Vivi!” Zidane shouted. “Hurry up or you’ll get left behind!”

Zidane strained to hear him answer but couldn’t really make out Vivi’s voice over the terrible howling of the wind in his ears. 

Then, Vivi staggered towards the edge of the pathway, as if he was having trouble maintaining himself. Garnet gasped and Zidane pushed around her noticing that Vivi was losing consciousness. 

He couldn’t reach him in time however, and Vivi plummeted onto a platform several feet below. Steiner followed Zidane, calling to the mage. 

“Master Vivi! Are you hurt?” 

There was no answer. Zidane noticed his head was beginning to feel weighted, dizzy almost, as he stared down the cliff side at Vivi’s body, covered lightly in snow.

“Master Vivi...answer...please…” Steiner continued, his frantic calls becoming weaker. He fell to his knees, his lips purple. His eyes began to glaze over as he struggled to keep himself upright. 

“Hey Rusty, don’t you go down on me too!” Zidane yelled, jerking roughly on his arm, however this too was in vain for Steiner quickly followed Vivi as he passed out on the icy floor. 

Zidane stared down at them, dumbstruck. “What...what happened to you guys?!” He growled, carefully making his way down to them. 

He kicked Steiner, hoping to wake him. “Hey, Rusty! Move it or lose it!” 

He noticed Garnet gazing down at them from over the ledge. Steiner didn’t budge. Zidane, feeling suddenly panicked, kicked him again.

“Grrr...I said, get up!” 

Zidane waited hopelessly for a moment before turning back to the slope he came down from. “Nothing...it’s no use…” 

Suddenly he heard a ‘flump!’ sound as something landed into the snow that was gathering at the ledge above him. His stomach turned. Using all his will power, he quickly climbed back up the ledge. There, he saw Garnet, passed out in the snow. 

“Oh no! Garnet! Not you too!”

Zidane hurried over to her, but the combined might of the strong winds and the black spots in his vision made that task insurmountably difficult. 

He was forced to a crawl--his body felt stiff with cold, his clothing soaked by the ice and snow. When he finally reached her he brushed her hair back with a gloved hand. 

“Garnet?” He managed. “S-She’s out c-cold…” 

He wanted to do something for her--anything, but his body was quickly failing him. His ears were ringing. He stared at her while his vision faded and he became disoriented. 

“S-shoot…haah…I-I’m...I’m falling asleep,” he realized, helplessly, before slumping onto the ground next to her. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zidane, drifting in and out of consciousness, suddenly noticed a soft tinkling sound, like a windchime, was echoing through the cavern. He briefly wondered what the sound was--whether it was real or the product of some strange fever dream he was having. 

Then he heard it again. More determined now, he struggled to pick himself off of the ground and glanced in the direction he thought it was coming from. 

“It...came from over there…” Slowly, he stood, feeling hopeful. “Is somebody there…?”

He made his way into the blizzard, through the opening. There was a frozen waterfall and a lake, covered in a thick sheet of ice. 

“Why didn’t you fall asleep?” A booming voice came from overhead. 

Zidane followed the sound and nearly stumbled backwards at what he saw. 

A black mage, considerably taller than Vivi--maybe seven feet in height--held a magical wind chime that administered a strong gust of icy wind. He wore a tall curled wizard’s hat, a balloon-sleeved doublet, and patterned breeches. Upon his back was a pair of great deep blue wings. He narrowed his glowing eyes at Zidane.

“You should be dead by now…”

Zidane gripped his dagger. “Are you the one causing this blizzard?!” He yelled up at him. 

The mage laughed maliciously and swooped down with a great thrust of his wings to face Zidane. He sounded humored, as if this situation was both trivial and delightful. “Heheh, that’s right, little monkey!” His eyes shimmered as he twirled his hand under the windchime, summoning a bright blue light. “Would you like to meet my little Sealion?”

Suddenly the ground began to shake, Zidane gasped, bearing his teeth as he drew his weapons. From beneath the lake bed great pillars of ice shot into the air. The ice cracked, and a winged, scaly monster erupted from within. 

The monster appeared like some great frankenstein of creatures--with the head of an insect from which a pair of great saber teeth protruded. It’s rib cage was transparent, it’s red heart throbbing unsettlingly--visible--in it’s chest. It was hunched over like a vulture, with stone-hard spikes jutting from it’s back and wings. It’s body gave way into that of a great two-tailed snake as it slithered towards Zidane at rapid speed. 

Zidane barely dodged in time as it thrust it’s hooked talon into the ice bed. Luckily, the ice was solid enough not to crack from the impact, but for a brief moment the monster was lodged into a hole it had created. As it struggled to free itself Zidane jumped up on its wing, using his tail to maintain balance as he scampered to it’s back. 

The beast shook violently, attempting to throw Zidane off, all the while the black mage blasted an icy wind in his direction. Zidane thrust his daggers into the monster's back but it’s hard exterior was impenetrable. 

He heard the black mage laugh and then saw sparks of fire fly through the air. 

“Shit!” Zidane thought, frantically. “I’ve gotta end this--and fast!”  
He searched for a point of leverage, feeling himself sliding, then he noticed it... “There!”

Zidane lept for the beast’s head and jabbed his weapon right into it’s eye, yanking it back out as he plummeted to the floor. The monster howled and swat Zidane with its massive wing. He crashed against the stone wall, his daggers flying from his hands. 

The black mage neared him, enraged, and summoned a burst of fire from his wind chime. Zidane barely evaded it and his arm was briefly burned as a result. 

“Aargh!” He cried out in pain, rolling onto the ice and swiping his weapons. 

“You’ll have to do better than that!” The black mage taunted. 

Zidane noticed his wind chime began to glow again, the small bell sizzling with heat. 

“Oh we’ll see about that!” Zidane charged at the mage, tossing the chime from his hand. 

Instantly, the mage produced a wind with which to return it, but Zidane stopped it with his dagger, looping the tie around his blade with one hand and spearing it through the middle with his other. The mage bellowed out in frustration, cursing Zidane.

With a great flap of his wings he lept into the air. “Sealion! Finish him!” He bellowed, disappearing over the waterfall. 

The creature charged at him, blood still gushing from it’s eye socket. Zidane sprinted towards it in a zig-zag motion causing it to tangle itself up under its own talons. He scampered up its body until he was eye level with the beast’s throbbing heart only feet away. 

“Woah!” Zidane cried, slipping from his perch on the monster’s wing as it rocked him. 

He caught himself by wrapping his tail around the bend between two of its deep scales but he struggled to find anything with which to give him leverage, all while being flung around like a doll. His back and the muscles leading down his tail began to feel tremendously strained and holding on became much harder. He glanced up hopefully, an idea occurring to him. 

“Nngh, come on dumb thing, just throw me high enough to reach that ledge!” He thought.

After several near misses, the monster finally flung it’s wing high enough for Zidane to let go. He flew through the air and tumbled onto a ledge some feet above the lake bed and the monster. It slithered away, searching the ground level for the small thief. 

“Hey, ugly! I’m up here!” He shouted, tricking the beast into coming closer. 

As he had hoped, the thing slid at full speed to the wall atop which Zidane stood, however, it misjudged the height difference and crashed right into it. 

The impact cracked it’s skull and blood gushed forth, Zidane threw himself on top of it driving both daggers into the middle of it’s head. 

The creature gave one last terrible howl and erratically seized before collapsing onto the frozen lake bed.

Zidane huffed, ripping his weapons out. 

“So there’s that…” He noticed then that he was covered in monster goop. “Oh, great, that’s just perfect…” 

Then, just as he started to climb off, the lake gave way and the monster started to sink. 

“Crap, crap, crap!” He bounded off, skidding onto solid ground.

“So, you defeated ‘Number 1’ but ‘Number 2 and 3’ will come for the Princess!” A strange voice sneered somewhere in the distance. 

“Wh-Who’s there?” Zidane scanned the area, feeling slightly annoyed. Silence followed. “Oh, whatever…” Maybe he had imagined it. “I’ve gotta go check on everyone else!”

As well as he could manage, he cleaned himself and his weapons off in the now thawed lake and then turned back the way he had come. 

\-------------------------------

When Zidane walked back into the clearing, he realized the air was noticeably warmer. Some of the snow in that portion of the ice cavern had even started thawing and the wind was no longer blowing. Garnet was standing, ringing the water out of her hair. 

“Zidane!” She called, bounding toward him.

Vivi and Steiner climbed out of the ditch below, also soaked.

“Hey there,” Zidane responded. “Everybody okay?”

“You!” Steiner charged in front of Garnet, acting like a sort of bodyshield between Zidane and the Princess. “What just happened? Why were we unconscious?! Why are you stained in that reddish muck?!” 

Zidane glanced down, inwardly cursing. He started to open his mouth but then he met Garnet’s gaze--worried and questioning--and remembered that ominous voice which had promised to come after the Princess and thought better of it. He didn’t need them freaking out over something that he himself didn’t even understand--whatever it was, he would take care of it. Besides, who’s to say they would even believe him? Even thinking back on it, the scenario sounded far-fetched. 

“It’s no big deal. I got sprayed by some kind of plant over there and had to find some running water to wash up. I guess that snow storm just put us out, but look,” He gestured to the clearing. “It’s calmed down now, so let’s just not worry about it and get out of here.”

“You’re hiding something!” Steiner rebuked. 

Zidane turned, leading them down the pathway. “Hey, nothing happened. You heard me.”

“You…” Steiner continued, hot on his heels, “...didn’t touch the princess, did you?”

Zidane furrowed his brows, his voice sharp. “Just what are you accusing me of?”

Garnet spoke up before Steiner. “Steiner, he said nothing happened. Why are you being so rude?”

Steiner slowed, falling back by the Princess. “...My apologies, Princess.” 

“Well, I’m glad everyone is safe,” Garnet said. “Shall we move on from this then and focus on finding the exit?”

Zidane abruptly stopped, nearly causing a collision. 

“Zidane?” Garnet’s voice came, sounding surprised. “Is something bothering you?” 

Again, he debated telling them...after all, what if the larger black mage from before returned as they left the cavern? 

“Zidane?” She repeated. 

He shook his head before picking up pace again. “No...no, it’s nothing.”


	8. Village of Dali, Over the Mist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note, I am choosing to only have the cast refer to Garnet as 'Dagger' when they are speaking to or about her in public (within ear shot of strangers). Around people that know she is the Princess or when they are in private, such as a locked room, they will be referring to her as Garnet. I decided this made the most sense, considering it's just an alias for travel in story.

Chapter 8 (Village of Dali, Over the Mist):

The group climbed out of the opening in the Ice Cave, being welcomed by a wave of warmth, fresh air and the chirping of birds. 

“We made it over the Mist!” Garnet cheered, skipping in front of Zidane to peer over the cliff side. She held her arms out, her head lolling as she sighed pleasantly. “Oh the sun feels great!” 

Zidane shifted the leather rucksack from one shoulder to another as he rounded on Garnet. Nevermind the aching in his feet and legs or the painful hunger in his stomach or the irritating way his clothes--the goop having dried and hardened--stuck to his body, his shoulders were just plain sore and he considered passing the task of pack mule onto Steiner. The Princess on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of her life despite the unenviable circumstances.

He glanced at his party and then over at the late afternoon sky. They hugged the edge of a cliff which was decorated with overgrowth, following a pathway down into a valley. In the distance he saw farmland and was suddenly struck by deja vu. 

“Look,” Zidane said, gesturing to a windmill with several humble stone houses clustered around it in the distance. “There’s a village. I think I’ve been there before...”

Garnet laughed, “It sounds like you’ve been everywhere, Zidane.” Then her voice waned and became more distant--thoughtful. “The only other worlds I’ve visited are in books.”

A moment of silence passed between them before Garnet turned to Zidane, renewed excitement in her eyes. 

“You may have been to that village before, so let’s go visit!”

Having made up her mind, Garnet walked on, carefully making her way down the steep incline. As Zidane stared after her, eyes wearily drifting over her now wavy dark hair, a thought occurred to him. He set the rucksack by his feet.

“Wait--hold it.”

Garnet stopped, glancing back at him questioningly.

“You’re a princess!” Zidane exclaimed. “You can’t just go rushing in there. People are looking for you--don’t you think they’d recognize a name as famous as yours? You need a new identity.”

“Insolent fool!” Steiner howled, shoving Zidane so that he almost lost his footing. Zidane’s dagger clattered to the ground. “The Princess need not sneak around!”

Instinctually, Zidane caught himself with his tail and stabilized before meeting a swift demise with the ledge--his heart pounding. He glared wildly at Steiner who turned up his nose at him.

“Besides, we’re heading back to the castle, there’s no need for an alias,” Steiner continued. “You have no place in these matters so leave her alone. Furthermore, you will address her with the proper formalities here onward, you silly peasant!”

Zidane, exploding in frustration, bared his teeth at Steiner and stepped threatening close to the royal knight--squaring up to him. 

“Dammit, Rusty!” Zidane bellowed. “Why don’t you just shut up before I make you regret it?! Who do you think you are? I don’t take orders from any pompous looking stuck-up jerk like you!” 

“You guys!” Vivi whined from behind Steiner. 

Before either could refute the other, Garnet put herself between them, shoving on both of their chests in an effort to spread them apart. Zidane stepped back but never broke eye contact with Steiner. 

“Nngh! Stop it--the both of you!” She turned to Steiner. “Steiner, I do not intend to return to the castle!”

Steiner stiffened, Zidane crossed his arms. 

“And I do see Zidane’s point,” She followed. “I need a new name if I’m to avoid being reported…” 

She seemed to pause for a moment, staring at her feet before swooping down to pick something up. 

“Zidane, this fell off of your person, correct?” She held up Zidane’s weapon. “What is it called?”

Zidane blinked, staring at her hand and then at Garnet. “Oh, that? Well it’s a dagger. All knives of that length are called daggers. Ah, but short swords are a bit longer...and the big sword you hold with both hands is called a broadsword, and don’t forget the--”

Garnet turned, cutting Zidane off mid sentence. “Oh okay, I understand now.” She walked forward a bit, pertly, waving Zidane’s weapon around idly, as though she were studying it.

“Princess!” Steiner called. “It’s a weapon! Please be careful with that!”

She slowed, but said nothing. Zidane almost moved to follow her, but she turned, making her way back up the slope before handing the blade back to him.  
“From now on you will address me as ‘Dagger,’” She said plainly. She smiled, stepping back. “What do you think, Zidane? Does it suit me?”

Zidane laughed, “Great, Dagger. Now, let’s work on your speech, eh? If you want to blend in with the common folk you’ve gotta sound like ‘em too. Try being more casual--like me.” He finished with a smirk, resting his hands behind his head as he teetered on his heel. 

“I shall try.”

“No no no,” He dropped his arms, glancing around at Vivi and Steiner while he thought. “Just say something like…’Alrighty!’”

“A-Alrighty!” 

Her cheeks were tinted and although she seemed embarrassed, her eagerness and stubbornness were charming all on its own. 

“Hey, there ya go! You’re getting the hang of it!” Zidane beamed. “Now then, let’s head down there while we’ve still got some daylight!”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Gee whiz, a windmill!” Exclaimed Vivi cutely upon approaching the tiny village. 

A small plaque posted in the dirt road leading into the cluster of houses read, ‘Welcome to The Village of Dali.’ 

They passed a young boy who was plowing a field and a girl, no older than Garnet balancing a basket of crops upon her head. A cobblestone pathway, overtaken by weeds, led through the village square. Sizable wooden doors were fixed into arches, carved into the fronts of each clay and stone abode. 

The sound of running water could be heard over the gentle chattering of villagers in the distance and the giggles of children as they chased each other around the pear trees. 

“What an adorable little place,” Garnet mused. 

Zidane glanced at the sign overhanging the cottage to his right. He quickly realized, much to his relief, that it was an inn.  
“Vivi,” Zidane called to the black mage, who was some feet away--mesmerized by a windmill off in the distance. “The inn is this way!”

He turned, pouting. “Aw, do we have to?” Vivi pointed behind himself. “...But I wanna go see the windmill.”

Zidane stretched his shoulders and neck. “I know, but let’s get some rest first, you’ll have time later.” He looked to Garnet. “We also need to decide what to do next.” Not waiting for response, he gestured for the party to follow him inside the Inn, the heavy door slamming behind them. 

The Inn felt a tad cramped; a small lit fireplace was stowed in the corner by stone steps stacked with handmade pillows. Several potted plants stretched towards the open windows from which a light breeze drifted. A jute rug offset the mossy, stone floor, and a quaint wooden dining area was pushed against a wall by an oversized vase of water. 

A man lay slumped over a leather bound book and quill at a desk in the back of the room. A cat leapt across the desk, before curling up by the fireplace, but the man did not so much as budge. 

Zidane sighed, hoisting the bag he carried to his left shoulder as he approached the man. “Sleeping on the job, huh?”

As Zidane reached to wake him, the man shifted and jolted upright. “Oh! I’m sorr…y,” He blurted, trailing off suddenly as his eyes drifted past Zidane. 

Zidane followed the man’s gaze, cocking an eyebrow at his presumptuous behavior.

“Hey, I know she’s cute,” Zidane started, “but it’s rude of you to stare.” He pulled a handful of gil from his pocket, dropping the golden coins onto the guest book before him. “That’ll be enough, right? We just need a room.”

“Oh, I-I wasn’t looking at the young lady. I was just…” The man stammered, then he hesitated, quickly scrawling something in his guest book. “The room is right over there.” He handed Zidane a skeleton key and pointed to a single door on his right. “Make yourselves at home.”

Zidane squinted, thinking the man odd, but not caring enough to be bothered with it. He strode over to the door, twirling the key in his right hand.  
“Uhm...Zidane?” Came Garnet’s voice, meek, from behind him. “Where will I be staying?”

He peered over at her curiously. “In the same room. Where else?”

Garnet clutched her hands over her breast, her brow pinched as her eyes filled with discomfiture. 

“But, Zidane...I mustn’t…”

“Look, I understand how you feel, but these country inns don’t have private rooms. We’re looking at a multibed, outhouse and public bathing sort of deal, know what I’m saying?” He turned the key and pushed the door, it stuck for a moment, groaning as he shoved it with his shoulder. He gestured towards the room. “Get inside, everyone.”

Steiner looked about ready to explode on Zidane and he was sure if not for the receptionist in the corner he would have. The three of them waddled into the room, Zidane close behind. 

Zidane hooked the key over a nail on the wall once inside the room, plopping himself and the rucksack onto a bed in the far left corner. Garnet settled on a bed next to Zidane’s while Steiner assumed the one across from hers, leaving Vivi next to Steiner. 

“Hey, not a bad place honestly,” Zidane noted, undoing his vest and ruffling out his hair. 

The wooden bed creaked as he shifted on it, the hay mattress crunching under the patchwork quilts he sat on. An array of plants decorated the corners of the room, a stone pillar, sporting a small round window led up to a skylight protected by a wax coated tarp.

There was even a private well in the center of the room and two makeshift desks with bronze candlesticks, a stack of blank parchment and a pitcher for water. 

“Well, I don’t know about you all but I’m going see what they have in the way of food around here. I could really go for a bath too.” He fished for a soap bar in the rucksack, focusing on Garnet who sat politely on the edge of her bed. “You wanna come with?”  
Steiner’s armor clanked as he predictably interjected. “Scoundrel! How dare you pose such an impudent request on the Princess and after forcing her into such an indigent situation such as this!”

Zidane glowered at him. “Well, tell me one thing before we call it a night then, why did you wanna leave the castle anyway, Garnet?”

Her eyes, sullen, fell to her hands, clasped in her lap. “If the theatre ship hadn’t crashed…”

“...It would’ve arrived at the neighboring regency of Lindblum,” Zidane realized, finishing her sentence. His eyes grew wide. “Wait, you were gonna leave Alexandria?!”

She nodded. Steiner sounded like he wanted to refute, but Zidane cut him off.

“I see,” He leaned back on his bed. “So if you hadn’t been caught, you would’ve reached Lindblum by now. But now...we’ll have to cross South Gate on foot.” He pursed his lips, lost in thought. “Border crossing, huh?”

“Zidane, please listen to me,” Garnet began. “There is a reason I must leave this kingdom. I cannot tell you why...but...please…”

Garnet held eye contact with Zidane then, a pleading, helpless expression on her elegant face.

“I understand…” He answered. “I’ll get you to Lindblum somehow.”

“Grrr, I’ve heard enough!” Steiner growled, jumping between them. “Princess, you cannot trust the words of a thief! He may expose you to even more danger, like he did in the Evil Forest!” He tightened his fist audibly by the leather of his glove. “I beg of you Princess, please, return with me to the castle.”

Zidane flicked his tail, hopping off of the bed to stand before Steiner. “I know I screwed up in the Evil Forest, there’s no denying that.” He narrowed his eyes at the knight, pressuring him with a look of utmost seriousness. “But there’s no doubt in my mind now. I’ll protect Garnet with my life!” 

Steiner appeared dumbfounded. “Don’t be ridiculous! It is I who protects the princess, now and forever!”

Zidane laughed, tauntingly. “Then tell me, just how do you intend to take her back to the castle?”

Steiner flushed. “I-I will think of a way…” Zidane rolled his eyes. 

Suddenly, Vivi murmured something incomprehensible from across the room. Everyone fell silent, distracted by the sleeping black mage, his hat resting over his face as he slumped against the headrest of his bed. 

“Master Vivi…” Steiner said.

“Sleep talking,” Zidane followed. “He was tired. But you just had to go on a tirade, now look at him.”

Steiner started on Zidane again at his accusation, but Zidane turned his back on Steiner talking squarely to Garnet who sat the same as before, looking weary herself.

“Hey, let’s turn in for the evening. I’ll take Sir Rustalot with me to the bath house and I’ll bring you back food too, that way you can have a little time to yourself. Sound good?”

Garnet nodded. “Thank you, Zidane.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zidane felt weightless, like he was floating. The air seemed heavy as if he was underwater, only breathing wasn’t difficult in the slightest. Through the darkness he could see only a beam of bright blue light and he fixated on it as if hypnotized, not quite remembering where he was or how he got here. 

“Oh, this again,” He realized, “I’ve been here before.” He stated, coming to himself, before even pausing to contemplate the meaning behind his own thoughts.

An unfamiliar sound suddenly drifted through the vast nothingness that surrounded him. It was a lonely sound, albeit sweet and melodic. 

“What a...beautiful voice…” He thought, serenaded by the sound--a song, a woman’s voice. He started to imagine from where it might be coming. “Who...who’s singing?”  
Somehow, without realizing it the song faded, as did the blue light and the darkness which surrounded him. 

“Nngh,” Zidane rubbed his eyes and blinked, staring at the rays of morning light which showed through the tarp on the ceiling. “I’ve never heard a song like that before…was that...Garnet singing? Or did I dream it?”

He turned over, coming to. The bed next to him was empty and what was even more, the covers were neatly folded, as if no one had even slept there at all. 

“Garnet…?” Zidane wondered, sitting up. 

“Oh, everyone is up already.” As he looked around he realized the room was empty. “I wonder where they went?”

He stretched, reaching for his hair ribbon on the stool beside his bed. He slid onto the cool stone floor and padded over to the dresser, fixing his vests and tying the ribbon over his jabot. 

“Guess I’ll go find them,” He said to himself, sliding on his boots and swiping the room key before disappearing into the lobby. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vivi crouched over a tiny pond, watching as the colorful fish inside made circles around the ferns.

He smiled, standing as he waddled further through the quiet village. Just as he approached a well, a group of children ran out--giggling--from behind a bend. They almost crashed into Vivi, stopping abruptly upon seeing him and staggering back, eyes wide. 

“Ouch…! Hey, what’s going on?” 

The kid in the front must have stepped on his friend behind him. He peered around the other kid, mirroring his expression when he spotted Vivi.

“Hey! You’re..!” He gasped before suddenly backing up, his two friends in tow. 

Vivi stared after them, confused. Tentatively, he walked forward only for the children to move back again. They gave him a look of bewilderment. Vivi thumbed his coat buttons, averting his gaze. 

“Are they...avoiding me?” He thought nervously. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garnet rested her hand on a wooden post, approaching a small garden, lost in thought. 

“I wonder if the castle is okay?” She mused, her gaze drifting to the ground. “That was quite a ruckus...Mother went too far. She didn’t have to fire at the ship, even if she did it to rescue me…”

She wandered further into the garden, clutching her necklace.

“I wonder how many people got hurt? I hope the damage wasn’t too severe. Some people could’ve died...like in the Evil Forest...”

“You’re in my way, kiddo,” the gravelly voice of an older woman suddenly came from behind her, startling Garnet so that she jumped. Realizing what the woman had said, Garnet flipped around and stared, flushed at a heavy-set, grey haired lady. 

“Kiddo…?” Garnet echoed, having never been called such a thing in her life. 

The lady was dressed head to toe in several layers of very worn knit clothing. She appeared to have a permanent scowl drawn on her face. Glancing around, it was then that Garnet realized she had stumbled right into this woman’s private garden. 

“Oh! My apologies…I mean, I’m sorry,” Garnet stammered, stepping back. 

The woman grimaced at Garnet with tired eyes, and pushed past her, a basket of salt tucked under her left arm. “Kids these days,” she muttered under her breath, stooping to tend to a stalk of corn. 

Garnet watched as the woman curiously dusted her crops with a light sprinkling of salt. 

“What are you doing?” Garnet asked with a tilt of her head. 

The lady grumbled, hoisting the basket higher into the nook between her arm and hip. “Can’t you see what I’m doing? I’m killing the bugs on the crops.”

“You’re...killing the bugs?” Garnet repeated.

The lady huffed, glancing at Garnet with a bushy arched brow. “Yeah, that’s what I’m doing! Bugs are just like monsters--they destroy our crops if you leave them be!”

Garnet stood, staring, unsure of what to say or do in a situation like this. The woman made a loud sound, “There’s one! Nasty thing!” She said, trying unsuccessfully to stomp out a bug that hopped towards Garnet. 

Garnet knelt, letting the bug crawl onto her glove. “Oh, it’s an oglop,” She recognized. “Oglops eat vegetables?” 

The woman paused. “You’re a strange one. Most young gals hate oglops.”

“Is that so?” Garnet answered, quieter, studying the insect. “It’s just that I haven’t seen too many of them…”

She then remembered Zidane’s advice about ‘blending in with the country folk,’ and decided she should scream, flailing her arms as if she were disgusted by the oglop. This great display simply prompted a stunned expression from the lady who followed it by shaking her head and grumbling something incomprehensible to herself once again. 

Garnet, feeling thoroughly overwhelmed by the situation, excused herself and slunk away, traversing back down a dirt pathway that led into the small village.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Vivi!” Zidane called, approaching Vivi, who was standing alone by a miniature garden. “What’s up?”

The short black mage turned around, his glowing eyes full. “Zidane!” He clutched his hands to his chest. “N-nothing! I was just thinking…”

Zidane smirked, his tail swishing, as he rested a hand on his chin. “Ahh, I see,” He started, cutting Vivi off who looked at him strangely. “You met a girl!”

Vivi jumped, sheepishly waving his hands as he slunk further into his tall hat. “N-No! Nothing like that!”

Zidane blinked, his arms dropping. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t like girls!”

Vivi twiddled his thumbs, his eyes downcast. “I...never really thought about stuff like...that.”

Zidane laughed, resting his hands on his hips. “I’m always thinking about girls.” Vivi glanced up at him shyly. 

“I’m popular with all the ladies in Lindblum,” Zidane boasted. He knelt beside Vivi so that he was eye level with him. “Come to me if you have any girl trouble, okay?” He finished with a wink. 

Vivi nodded. “S-sure. Thanks.”

“Well,” Zidane said, getting to his feet. “I’m gonna go look for ‘Dagger’ and Rusty. Would you mind heading back to the inn? I’ll meet you there soon.”

Vivi dropped his hands to his sides. “Sure, I’ll head back.”

Zidane smiled and waved, turning before an idea struck him and he just as quietly looked back at Vivi. 

“So, uh, what were you staring at anyway?” Zidane asked.

“Nothing,” Vivi said, shaking his head. “But I keep hearing a sound from in there like ‘kweh!’” He finished, pointing at the garden beside him. 

Zidane glanced quickly in the direction Vivi pointed. “Oh, that’s the sound Chocobos make.” He seemed to contemplate this for a moment before waving again and saying his goodbyes. “I’ll see you back at the inn then!”

Vivi waved. Once Zidane had disappeared, Vivi found himself staring into the garden once again. 

“What are Chocobos…?” He wondered aloud. 

He went to kneel by the stone wall surrounding the garden, listening closely for the sound again. For some odd reason it seemed to be coming from the ground. Vivi thought about what kind of creature a Chocobo might be...but before he had time to entertain the idea, someone ran up quickly behind him and scooped him off of his feet. He flailed, crying out helplessly as he was totted off.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garnet pushed open the door on a small shop near the Inn. A tiny bell chimed as she entered and a girl who looked near her in age, perked up and stuffed her sewing project hurriedly under the desk she sat behind. 

“W-welcome!” She said.

Garnet stiffened upon seeing her, feeling intimidated but determined. 

“I must speak with this girl,” She told herself. “I must learn how common folk speak.”

She glanced around the room--at the armor set on the desk, the various tools and staves lining the walls, along with the books and potion bottles shoved onto display shelves. 

“Uhm, yes, can we...talk for a bit?” Garnet said awkwardly.

The girl tilted her head, her chestnut curls falling from behind a decorative head veil.

“Talk?”

Garnet hesitated, wondering what she should say. “I’m...I’m from the--”

“Eve!” A voice came from behind Garnet. In her surprise, Garnet stumbled as a small boy charged past her. 

“Yacha!” The girl behind the counter said, sounding annoyed. “Can’t you see I’m with a customer?”

The boy, not persuaded, hopped up and down energetically. “But I just heard something awesome!” He went so far as to lean over the desk, his face beaming. 

“I’m working,” The girl insisted, throwing Garnet a sympathetic look. 

Garnet shook her head, waving her hands. “Uhm, please...I-I mean, don’t mind me!”

Garnet breathed a sigh of relief. At least now she could learn how the villagers conversed without embarrassing herself in the process. 

She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and strode over to the book shelf at the far left corner of the room, pretending to study a book about spell casting. She heard the shop door open and the bell behind her chime, but paid little mind to it.

After a moment, Garnet noticed someone came to stand uncomfortably close to her. She inhaled, flipping clumsily through a section in the book she held labeled: The Art of Healing. Her mind whizzed with questions as she scrambled for a proper response. 

“What should I do? Why is this person standing so close to me? Should I--”

“Yo, Dagger, what’re you looking at?” Came a very familiar voice to her left.

Garnet jumped, her face glowing as realization dawned on her. 

“Zidane?!”

Zidane wore a teasing smirk. His blonde ponytail fell over his left shoulder, his brilliant blue-green eyes glimmering with playfulness.

“You got a fever or something? Your face is all red,” He said, reaching out to touch her forehead. 

Garnet leaned back, cupping her burning cheeks in her gloved hands. “I-It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Zidane’s eyebrows pinched. “You’re acting strange…”

Garnet blinked, frozen in place. “Huh?” 

“Oh!” Zidane’s face lit up then. “I get it!” He stepped closer, his voice hushed. “You changed the way you talk! You’re doing great!” 

Garnet exhaled, shaking her head.

“Oh, thank you!” She stepped back, and grinned with a toss of her hair. “I did fine in the play, didn’t I?”

“Oh yeah, I thought, ‘you sure know how to fake it!’” Zidane laughed.

“Fake?” Garnet scoffed. “How insensitive! I love Lord Avon’s plays. I’ve seen all of them. ‘I Want to Be Your Canary’ is one of my favorites. I even have all of the lines memorized!”

Zidane put up his hands, looking nervous. “Geez, you don’t have to get mad. I’m sorry, alright?” 

Garnet’s eyes fell downcast. 

“Anyway, maybe we should head back to the Inn and regroup?” Zidane suggested.

Garnet glanced up at him and nodded. Before leaving the princess bowed quickly to the store clerk, receiving only a perplexed look from her in response. 

Zidane led Garnet back outside and through the Inn lobby, he shoved the door to their room open, hanging the key and flopping himself on the bed across from her. 

“I asked Vivi to head back so he should be here soon,” He stated, leaning on the headrest. 

Garnet was quiet. Zidane peeked over at her from behind his bangs. 

“So,” he began, “How do you like this village? Pretty different from the castle, I bet.”

“Yes, the children here are very energetic,” Garnet replied softly. “There are so many things to see. I’ve never walked around so freely before in my life. But...there has been something concerning me...where are all of the adults?”

Zidane sat up. “Hmm...yeah, now that you mention it, I used to see them tending the farmland next to the village…”

“But that farmland is tiny.”

“Hah, maybe it is.” He scratched his chin, eyes narrowed. “You know, there does seem to be something strange going on...it’s not like how I remembered it.”

He turned to face Garnet, swinging his legs off of the side of the bed. “We’ll leave once Vivi gets back, okay?”

Garnet pouted. “But...what about Steiner?”

Zidane tossed a hand in the air. “Ahh, I have a good plan for crossing South Gate. I wouldn’t worry about him. Besides, it’ll be easy! They’re not looking for the rest of us, so we’ll just hide you!” Zidane rolled back, hopping to his feet, the bed creaking as he stood on it, a jaunty smile playing on his face. “Forget about Rusty, Garnet! Just leave everything to me!”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steiner placed the last log onto a perfect pyramid of firewood. He wiped his brow, staring confidently at his work.

“Firewood stacking duties are complete, Miss!” He shouted, marching to the vacant front room of the local pub. The teenage girl behind the counter glanced over at him nervously. He posed, militant, before her. “I await your command!”

“It’s my job to clean the bar. Why are you doing all of this?” The girl answered, drying a glass with a rag.

“S-sorry…” Steiner, uncomfortable, averted his gaze to the floor. “Well, now that you have time, would you introduce me to some adults, like your father?”

“My father won’t be back until nightfall.” The girl placed the glass on a high shelf. “All the other men are also working. They don’t come here during the day.”

Steiner huffed, turning for the door. “Pubs are supposed to be a prime source of information…” He paused at the handle, considering his options, then he whipped around and strode right up to the counter. “Ahem! I need not ask an adult. Allow me to ask you instead--I need to know about what transportation method people use in this village. I cannot tell you the reason, but there is someone I must escort to the castle.”

The girl faced him. “Are you from Alexandria castle?”

Steiner nodded fiercely. “Indeed! I command the queen’s Knights of Pluto!” Looking proud, he placed his hands on his hips. “I am Adelbert Steiner, Captain of the Knights of Pluto!”

The girl seemed confused. “...Knights of Pluto?” She echoed. She appeared to contemplate something briefly. “Well, if you’re from the castle, I guess it’s okay to tell you...Please go to the observatory on top of a mountain on the outskirts of the village. An old man named Morrid lives there, he takes care of the cargo ship.”

“A cargo ship!?” Steiner sputtered. “So, that piece of junk flies to this village! Thank you!” He saluted her, making for the door.

“Wait!” Came the girl’s small voice.

Steiner glanced back. “Yes?”

“Thank you for cleaning.”

“Nay,” Steiner smiled, shaking his head. “It is I who should thank you for your assistance. I must make haste!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“...As it turned out, it didn’t matter that we snuck into their mansion,” Zidane continued, pacing around the Inn room. He scratched the back of his head, lost in thought. “But the Kings were hiding something in their mansion…”

He craned back to see Garnet, staring at her hands in her lap, motionless.

“What’s wrong? Am I boring you?”

Garnet blinked, catching his gaze. “Oh no. Your story is very interesting...but, I’m concerned about Vivi. Why isn’t he back yet?” She stood, attempting to peer out the small window beside her bed.

Zidane crossed his arms. “You’re right. He is late. I’m not worried about Steiner, but Vivi, I’m not so sure about.” Garnet faced Zidane. He dropped his arms, tilting his head towards the door. “Let’s go look for him.”

Garnet agreed, following Zidane out into the lobby. They walked until they reached the village square by a well across from a small garden. 

“Wait a minute…” Zidane muttered, hurrying over to the garden wall. “Last time I saw Vivi, he was standing over here.” 

Garnet scanned the area, close behind Zidane, concern etched onto her gentle face. Suddenly, they heard a squawking sound. 

“Was that...a chocobo?” Zidane looked to Garnet. “Vivi said before he heard a chocobo here.” They both waited, listening intently for the sound. 

What they heard instead was a soft and muffled weeping. Zidane knelt by the garden wall, his face contorted in concentration. “Is someone...crying…?” 

“What’s weird though...is it almost sounds like it’s coming from underground…” He lingered, creeping along the wall until the sound led him to a short rusty pipe in a corner, overgrown with weeds. He put his ear to the hole, straining to hear. “No doubt about it...it’s coming from this hole.”

Garnet knelt beside him. 

Zidane cupped his hands around the hole and called. “Vivi?”

The sobbing subsided. “...Z-Zidane?” The mage in question answered, his voice distant and wavering. 

Zidane gasped. “Vivi! Where are you? Are you underground? Can you move at all?” 

“They told me to stay here…” Vivi whimpered. 

Zidane furrowed his brows. “Are you hurt?” 

“No…”

“Don’t worry,” Zidane assured him, “we’ll get you out of there! We’ll hurry, so just stay where you are, okay?”

Vivi sniffled. “O-okay…” 

Zidane got to his feet, surveying the garden and then the well in the distance. 

“What’s going on in this village?” He chewed on his tongue, turning to Garnet. “There’s gotta be a way into the underground somewhere. Let’s go look for an opening.”

“Okay!”

“And it seems like such a quiet village too…” Zidane murmured, narrowing his eyes as they walked. 

The two of them scaled the walls of the nearby buildings and paced the grounds surrounding it. Zidane noticed then that the door to the building on their left was cracked open, the lock left dangling. 

“Dagger!” He called for her in a hushed voice, glancing around for spying eyes as they both slid inside. The groaning of a windmill’s gears noisily greeted them. 

Zidane kicked a metal dome-shaped hatch on his way in. “Heh, isn’t this obvious?” He grinned, leaning down to pick the lock. Garnet stood awkwardly behind him.

The hatch clicked and swung open, a cool breeze blowing his hair back as Zidane slipped the pick into his back pocket. “Geez what a draft.” He peered into the dark tunnel before him, unable to see anything beyond a few metal rungs. 

Zidane turned to the princess. “I’ll go first, just stay close.”

She bowed her head, following the tailed thief as he disappeared into the dark.


	9. Village of Dali, Mysteries of the Underground

Chapter 9: Village of Dali, Mysteries of the Underground. 

“Where are we?” Whispered Garnet into the dark.

Zidane took her hand, leading her down the platform connected to the metal ladder. Her voice, however quiet it was, bounced off of the cave walls. Small torches offered limited visibility in the musky cave. 

They peered over the ledge from which they stood, on a wooden overhang with a dirt pathway below, littered with crates some 10 feet down. 

“Oh, here it is,” Zidane said. He came around Garnet, placing his hand on the small of her back and yanked a lever to his left. “Mind your balance.” 

Suddenly the platform below them groaned and clicked, dropping them onto the lower level of the cave. They followed the pathway left, accompanied by little more than the whistling of the wind and the dripping of water somewhere off in the distance. 

“Some kind of underground storage facility,” Zidane mused, his voice low. 

Straw was sprinkled along the pathway, quickly covering up the dirt as they pressed on. Turning a bend, they recognized the glow of lantern light up ahead. 

There was a circular stone structure with decorative tarps tied as it’s canopy. A cobblestone pathway led from the ‘tent’, a large wooden barrel blocking it’s entrance. 

Zidane pulled Garnet and himself close to the cave wall, tucked between stacks of hay and the wooden barrel. He noticed voices coming from inside the structure. 

Glancing around, he saw wooden fences and rope netting lining the walkway; chains hung from the ceiling. A chocobo paced around a small pen, daylight descending from a well in the corner. Zidane felt uneasy.

“This isn’t just a regular underground storage facility…” He thought.

“What’s going on?” Garnet whispered, her voice carrying in the spacious cave. 

Zidane gave her a warning look. “Shh!” He motioned for her to stay back, as he crept on his knees to peer around the barrel. 

“Why is it moving?” A man said from inside the lit structure. “So it’s true that the mayor’s brother found it, then?”

A second man answered. “I guess they reconciled. His brother is one of us now--took him long enough.”

Zidane could hear some metal clanking in the silence that followed. “Wasn’t he on the old lady’s side before?” The first man said.

The chocobo in the pen squawked. “Oh, about abandoning the farm?” The second man followed. “He probably only said that because he was fighting with the mayor. But who cares? We need more workers anyway.” Something hit the floor from inside the tent. “Hey, let’s pack this one up.”

“I guess the guys at the castle will take care of it.” 

Garnet moved closer, straining to hear around Zidane. “The castle…?!” She gasped under her breath. 

“Yeah, we’re only in charge of production,” One of the men answered his accomplice.

Someone lifted a lantern, the light dancing on the cave walls across from them. “Come along now.”

Zidane noticed Garnet from the corner of his eye, tracing her glove along the insignia painted onto the barrel.

Three figures stepped out of the structure, pushing the smaller figure in the middle forward. Despite the dark, Zidane instantly recognized the stature and tall, patchwork hat slumping over the blue coat of the middle figure. 

“Vivi!” He thought, wildly. “That bastard!” Without thinking, Zidane lurched forward, prepared to sock the men dragging away his friend. 

“Zidane! Wait!” Garnet yanked on Zidane’s vest and he staggered back, falling into the hay stacks as both the men and Vivi faded away into the dark.

Zidane turned on Garnet. “Hey! What was that for?!” 

“Didn’t you see the large barrel next to the shed?” Garnet started. “I’ve seen the exact same pattern on some of the barrels at the castle. This place must have some kind of connection with Alexandria Castle. I must know what it is! So please...I beg of you, don’t cause any trouble just yet.”

Zidane huffed, pulling himself upright, his jaw tight. “...Alright. But I will start trouble if Vivi is in danger--agreed?”

Garnet looked away. “Agreed.”

“Alright, well let’s go.” Zidane pushed around her. “They went further inside.”

They wandered through corridors lined with crates, some of them--oddly-- coffin-shaped and colorfully painted. Eventually, they came upon a large room with a stone floor. Ropes and lanterns hung overhead and grand wooden arches were built into the cave walls. The sound of an engine whistling and wheezing filled the space--it’s huge metal gears turning. 

“What the heck is that?” Called Zidane, dumbfounded upon seeing a gargantuan gunmetal-grey contraption--lined with copper pipes, wheels and clocks. It groaned like a terrible man-made beast--larger than any engine in the Prima Visa. He went to inspect it.

“Zidane!” Garnet’s voice came over the ruckus.

He turned on his heel. “What is it?” 

She was staring at a tall box, painted with stripes and marked with an insignia, tucked against a corner in the room.

“Do you hear that? Someone’s crying…”

Zidane leapt over the surrounding boxes enclosing the one in question. Sure enough, he heard soft weeping and sniffling from inside. 

“...Vivi?”

The crying subsided. “Zidane?!”  
Zidane gripped the corners of the box, flooded with relief. “It is you! Don’t worry--I’ll get you out!” 

He pulled out his dagger, working at a crooked nail until it popped off. “Why would they stuff you in a box?” He pondered. 

“How could they…?” Followed Garnet, her hands clutched over her breast. 

Vivi stuttered, incomprehensible.

“We’ll talk later!” Yelled Zidane. “Hold on! Nngh...there! It’s open!” 

Zidane kicked the front of the box off and it clattered to the floor, Vivi tumbling out. Garnet and Zidane both helped the black mage get to his feet. 

“What happened?” Zidane asked, eye level with Vivi.

“After you left, some men kidnapped me and brought me here,” Vivi explained. “They told me to stay put. I was so scared...I didn’t know what to do. They asked me, ‘Why were you outside?’ and then they said, ‘The cargo ship isn’t even here yet.’ I didn’t know what they were talking about, so I didn’t say anything, and then they said, ‘Let’s put it in today’s shipment.’”

Garnet gasped, her face contorted in bewilderment. “And they put you in that box?”

Vivi pulled down his hat. “...Yeah.”

Zidane stood, patting the smaller boy on the shoulder. “Well, I’m glad you’re safe. But listen, Vivi, you’ve gotta do something next time. What if Dagger and I hadn’ta found you? If someone does something like this to you, you should try screaming back or whatever.”

Vivi peered up at Zidane with his huge, amber eyes. “Screaming?” He echoed.

“Yeah, like…’Get off me, you scumbag!” Zidane hollered, thrusting his fists into the air as he thwarted off pretend adversaries. “Like that! It surprises your attacker and empowers you!”

“Oh...I see…”

“Oh but Vivi, I wanted to ask you a favor.” Zidane rested his hand on his hip, looking pensive. “We want to check out what’s up ahead. I know you might not be thrilled with the idea, but…”

Vivi shook his head. “...Zidane, actually, I want to know more too. Look…” He pointed at the engine across the room. “What is that thing?”

“I was wondering that too.” Zidane turned. “Alright, that settles it then--follow my lead and let’s watch each other's backs.”

As the trio wandered around the room, Zidane noticed a fog drifting from under a closed double door. 

“Smoke?” He guessed. “No...the color and the draft...this is...this is Mist! It has to be!”

He pushed on the door but to no avail. Crouching, Zidane peeked under the door. The room was empty, save for a large machine with a series of complicated funnels. 

“It’s gathering mist from somewhere higher up in the cave. It must be sending it to the machine out here.” Zidane stood, pacing around the tall mechanical beast beside him. 

Some ways down a platform, there was an unstable-looking bridge, overlooking a metal track. The track extended from the engine, wheeling out carts carrying giant off-white objects.

“Are those...eggs?” The group carefully made their way over to it. “Is this machine...making eggs?” Zidane wondered.

They followed the bridge until they came to an opening, an oversized wooden wheel turning on their left. Inside the wheel bobbed a large yellow bird.

“A chocobo…” Gysahl Greens--a chocobo’s favorite snack--dangled from a rope above it, just out of reach. Zidane studied it. “So the track dumps the carts carrying the eggs out onto this conveyor belt and then this poor guy powers it…Couldn’t they just use a machine for this?”

“Poor chocobo…” added Vivi.  
“What’s that?” Garnet asked, pointing at another piece of machinery, receiving the eggs and sending them into another room. A series of long, spindly tubes ascended beyond the ceiling. 

“It looks like the mist engine inside the Prima Vista.” Zidane noticed a window facing the engine beyond the arch way up ahead. He dashed over to it, cupping his hands on the glass. “It’s way too dark to get a good look...but something is definitely happening in there. What a weird sound...almost like something is cracking...or maybe, it’s the eggs hatching?”

“Come on!” Zidane called to Garnet and Vivi. 

They followed him into a long dark hallway, an eerie silence lingering as the clicking and clanking of metal faded behind them. There was a somber amber glow at the end of the tunnel. Mist rolled along the stone floor, their footsteps echoing.

Zidane glanced over at Garnet and then at Vivi. Both of them held their hands securely to their chests, wordless, facing the exit. A strange sense of anxiety seemed to permeate the walls as they stared at the cobweb-lined archway up ahead.

The light of the room nearly blinded Zidane as he ducked through the opening. He felt movement beside him.

“Ahhh!” Vivi screamed, staggering back. “Wh-What is this?!”

Garnet gasped. The wood beams above them creaked, chains rattling as an overhead conveyor system shuffled heavy loads through the room, disappearing through an opening into the next. 

Swinging from each clamp, evenly spaced by several feet, were the limp bodies of very large pointed-hat figures. Undeniably they looked like corpses--uncanny in their likeness to human proportion. Behind each drooping hat and oversized coat was a face, black as night, identical to the short mage which stood beside Zidane. He felt a chill race down his spine.

“T-They’re--I mean some parts are different but…” Zidane swallowed, glancing down at Vivi. “They look just like him…” He thought, welling with concern at the shivering boy beside him. 

“Wh-What is this…?” Vivi cried, his flame-like eyes large and fearful--locked on the row of hanging bodies swaying overhead. “Are they...dolls?” 

Suddenly something far behind them crashed to the floor with a loud bang, causing Zidane to flinch. A door creaked open somewhere down the hall.

“Someone’s coming!” Zidane hissed, turning to the others. “Vivi! Dagger!”

Neither of them moved.

“Why…?” Garnet mouthed, frozen in shock. “Is my mother behind this…?”

Zidane could hear the chatting of workers nearing. He groaned, grasping Garnet and Vivi roughly by the arms. “This way!”

They both yelped, reanimating as if being broken from a spell. “Ahh! What are you doing Zidane?!” Garnet demanded as he dragged them forward.

He ignored her, scanning the room frantically for a place to hide. “Guess we have no choice!” He scooped Garnet off of her feet, tossing her over his shoulder like a bag of rice. She squealed, instantly constricting her arms around him. He leapt onto the platform, sliding behind the opening the lifeless figures disappeared into, Vivi in tow. 

“Sorry, but stay quiet!” Zidane said, dropping Garnet to the floor and clasping a hand over her mouth. They could see nothing in the dark, only feel the fabric from each figure’s clothing as it passed by them. 

“Hey, did you say something!” A young man’s voice came from just beyond the wall. 

Shuffling followed and a woman’s voice answered. “No, not me.” 

“It’s just that I thought I heard--well, okay, nevermind,” The man continued, sounding confused. “It’s almost time. Hurry it up, will you? The ship only comes once a day!”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you!” The woman responded, her voice barely audible over the rumble of the engines. 

A hatch above Zidane, Garnet and Vivi, promptly opened, flooding their hiding spot with light. Just as quickly, a massive shadow fell over them, a crane dropping something from above.

“Whoa! What the hell?” Zidane gasped, ducking as he was swallowed by a wooden crate. Garnet yelped as another box hit the ground behind him. He was shuffled onto wooden rollers as a base was locked into place from a trap door beneath him. 

“Great,” Zidane thought, pushing on the box with all his might. “There’s not enough room in here for me to bust out.”

Nails were hammered into the corners. He tucked himself in, suddenly fearful of being speared. He felt the box drop onto the floor and someone ease it into a push cart, complaining about the weight.

“Come on Tribal think,” He encouraged himself. “Your specialty isn’t squeezing through tight spaces for nothing now.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steiner cleared his throat, peering out over the dock while the cool wind slapped his face. “Pardon me!” He called to a short older man, who tied a rope to a pulley in the distance. “I must escort a person of high rank to the castle!”

The man did not answer. Steiner stepped closer, his voice growing louder and more urgent. 

“When will the cargo ship arrive?”

The man did not so much as glance at Steiner. “I’m busy,” He muttered, waving a dismissive hand in the air. 

Baffled, Steiner stood awkwardly. After a moment the man righted, turning. He scowled at Steiner.

“You’re in my way.”

Steiner automatically responded, stepping back as the man pushed past him. Shaking his head Steiner promptly followed the man at a safe distance all the way down the stone steps winding around the cliffside. He followed him into a petite house at the nestled at the bottom of the hill. 

The air wafted of freshly brewed coffee--a pleasant warmth filling the space. The old man, completely undeterred by Steiner’s presence, proceeded to pour himself a mug. Steiner glanced at the red embers popping in a quaint fireplace to his right. 

“How about a cup?” The man said suddenly, startling Steiner. 

“Oh--” with little contemplation, Steiner accepted the warm mug being offered to him. “Thank you.”

He sipped it, musing about the rich taste as his mind began to wonder. 

“Wait a minute,” He frowned. “I am not here to drink coffee!” Steiner slammed the cup down on a nearby table, his eyebrows furrowing. “Tell me when the cargo ship will arrive or else the Alexandrian royal family will appropriate this property!”

The old man scratched his beard thoughtfully. “And then what?”

Steiner balled his hands into fists at his sides. “I order you to tell me when the cargo ship will arrive!” He repeated. “Tell me you old fool!”

The man smirked. “You’re not a very creative interrogator.” He sipped his drink, unperturbed by Steiner’s demands.

“I am just trying to do what is right!”

The man gave a short chuckle. “Hmm and who decides right from wrong? You?” 

Steiner crossed his arms, his armor clanking. “Anyone can tell right from wrong.”

A large grin stretched across the old man’s face. He wagged a finger in the air, turning for his cupboard. “Hahah! Still as green as a pickle.”

Steiner blinked, befuddled. He straightened, assuming a more authoritative tone. “When will the cargo ship arrive, I said!?”

“It’s already here,” The man stated, undoing the ties on a small bag. “They should be loading it now.”

Steiner growled, exasperated. “Why couldn’t you tell me sooner?! I don’t have time for games.” He turned for the door, a windchime tinkling softly as he opened it. Steiner paused to salute the man. “Thank you.”

Hurrying down the hillside overlooking the house, Steiner spotted a single airship, draped in white tarps, perched in a field. From this distance, he could see men carrying crates up a ramp leading into the ship. 

“It is indeed the cargo ship!” Steiner affirmed, relieved. He tromped clumsily down the hill. “Now I can take the princess back to the castle where she belongs! I must think of a way to get her on the aircraft.”

Just before he reached the ship he noticed the ground near it giving way, something large rising to the surface.

“What? What is that?!” He sputtered.

Two men emerged from behind the large object. Noticing Steiner, hurtling at them, red-faced, arms swinging, they gave him a comically frightened look before disappearing back under ground with the bang of a heavy metal door.

Steiner, finally reaching the object, paused to catch his breath as he glanced around.

“Where did those men go?” He wondered. 

The only thing that stood between himself and the airship ramp was an oversized barrel with a colorful green insignia painted onto the front. 

“This barrel…” He paced around it, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. “What could be inside? What could they possibly be shipping out from this impecunious village?” 

The barrel shifted then, as if being rocked from the inside. Steiner pulled his blade.

“What in the--do my eyes deceive me? There shan’t be any surprise attacks on the Queen’s royal knight!” He exclaimed, thrusting his sword into the front of the barrel.

A high-pitched yelp came from inside the cargo. Following that, the top of the barrel gave way with a crack, as a familiar blonde thief climbed out, his hair disheveled. He glared down at Steiner. 

“Hey, you ‘royal idiot’!” Zidane yelled. “What did you do that for? You almost stabbed Dagger!”

Steiner, lost for words, pointed at Zidane with his blade. “Y-You! You have the princess?!”

Zidane rolled his eyes, lifting himself as he widened the opening he crawled out of. He reached down into the barrel, wrapping his tail around a rope fixed to the outside for support. Garnet emerged, looking stunned but otherwise unharmed. 

“You gonna help or just catch flies with that big mouth of yours?” Zidane asked, turning on Steiner, his arm still wrapped around the Princess. 

Steiner’s face flushed. He snapped his jaw shut, extending his arms as he helped Garnet slide down. 

“Princess, what in the world is going on?” He asked, his voice laced with concern. Steiner made eye contact with Zidane, his expression darkening. “You scoundrel! Is this your doing?” 

Garnet interrupted him. “Steiner, please!” 

Steiner glanced between them, sighing. “Yes, your highness…” He faced the ship, shoulders slumped. 

“Zidane, I don’t know what to say to Vivi,” Garnet started. “I never knew anything like this was going on at the castle…”

“Hey, we still don’t know for sure,” Zidane answered, his voice unusually gentle. “Let’s just stay by Vivi’s side. It’s the best we can do for him.”

The grass crutched underfoot, Zidane nearing the black mage who knelt, pulled in on himself, behind the barrel. 

“This is not the time to panic,” Steiner told himself. “I absolutely must get the princess onboard this cargo ship. Then, we can head back to the safety of the castle.”

“Yo, Rusty!” Zidane’s voice came, breaking him from his thoughts. “You know where this airship’s headed?”

Steiner straightened, instantly smacked with a brilliant idea. “As a matter of fact...L-Lindblum. Yes, to Lindblum,” He answered.

Zidane hummed, “Well that's convenient! Did you ask someone?”

Steiner turned, but found himself unable to make eye contact. “Th-The old man in the shack told me! Yes, that’s right. So it must be true!” The knight comically puffed out his chest, hands fixed on his hips. 

“You’re acting strange…” Zidane continued, pushing past Steiner as he stepped onto the ramp. 

“W-wait! Something’s coming this way!” Steiner blurted. 

Zidane flipped around and sure enough, a large figure with a curled hat and impressive blue wings soared towards them from across the field. The figure wore a long velvet coat, teal, with intricate patterns embroidered onto the cuffs. He narrowed his piercing yellow eyes at the party, swooping down to them with a great gust of wind. 

“Princess Garnet,” came the thunderous voice of the large black mage. “The Queen commands your presence at the castle.”

Zidane stepped in front of Garnet protectively, a realization dawning on him. “You all were sent by the castle!?” 

“What?” Came Steiner’s voice beside him, bewildered. “What are you talking about?” 

“You were all unconscious,” Zidane continued, “From the blizzard in the Ice Cave. A mage there called himself the ‘Black Waltz!’”

“Ahh,” The mage seemed amused. “Are you the one who defeated Number 1? It is quite a surprise now that I see you...yes, a very intriguing surprise. But today, you won’t be so lucky. I am Black Waltz the Second. My power, my sorcery and speed are far superior to he who came before me. Resistance is futile, little creature. Come, Princess. The queen awaits!”

Garnet held onto Zidane’s outstretched arm, staring up at the black mage with uncertainty. “No! I will not return to the castle!”

“Come with me, lest I make you regret it!” Great sparks of energy lept from the magician’s gloves, dancing like violet lightning around his being.

“Wait!” Steiner called. “I, Captain Steiner of Alexandria Castle, shall escort the princess back personally! She is in very capable hands and I will see to it that I--”

“Hahah!” Villainous laughter erupted from the mage. “You think I care? I won’t allow the likes of you to prevent me from completing my mission!”

He extended his arm, his gloves glowing with a massive beam of hot, violet fire. “Princess--stand down while I destroy these vermin!”

Steiner readied his sword, feet planted firmly in the ground. 

“What are you doing? You can’t deflect a beam like that!” Zidane yelled, as Steiner reacted, narrowly dodging the blast of magic. 

Steiner, picked himself off of the ground and shocked, glanced at his sword. 

“Is it...glowing?” He examined it, astounded by the red light that seemed to emanate from the blade. “How?” 

He then noticed Vivi, turned to him at a distance, his palms equally red-hot with fire, his expression one of deep concentration. 

“The...the magic sword! Yes! Very good Master Vivi! I shall not let you down!” Steiner lunged at the mage, thrusting his sword into his side. 

Unfortunately, the blade only singed the edge of his target’s cloak, for the mage vanished, teleporting in a flash to appear beside Zidane. 

Guarding the princess with his body, Zidane swiped at the mage, nicking his backside before he vanished again. Zidane was suddenly struck with a great burst of magic causing him wretch and yell out in pain.

“Zidane?!” Garnet cried, falling over him. “Are you okay?”

“Heh,” Zidane clambered to his feet, winded. “Yeah--not the first time I’ve been electrocuted actually.”

A large crack rang through the air. Vivi stood by Steiner, pointedly facing the Black Waltz with extended, trembling arms. The Waltz levitated some feet away, holding his shoulder as smoke rose from his body. 

“Even you--disobedience will not be tolerated!” The Waltz roared, dashing towards Vivi and Steiner--a blur of robes and feathers. “Allow me to show you how you use fire!”

But before the Waltz could cast his great sorcery, he froze, trapped in place by an iridescent shield of magic. Vivi yelled for Steiner who struck his glowing blade across the enemy. The Waltz howled, breaking himself free as he teleported several feet away. 

Zidane raced over to the Waltz, furiously swiping his blades. “Don’t think you can just run away from us!” He yelled. The thief pulled back for the ending blow but when he landed it the Waltz disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.

“What?!” He pulled his blade from the ground, turning this way and that, expecting to see the Waltz teleport nearby. “Nothing…” 

He slid his weapons back into his holster, cautiously making his way to the party gathered near the airship. 

“So much for his intimidating speech,” Zidane said. 

Garnet stared woefully at the ground and then at Vivi, who looked even worse off than before. 

“Did my mother really send him to capture me…?” She worried. 

“It can’t be, your highness,” Steiner began. “There is no reason to trust the words of some bandit.” The knight leered at Zidane before resting his gaze on Garnet, his eyes softening. “He was just another criminal, scheming to use the princess for some evil deed.”

Garnet met his gaze, her voice wavering. “Have I not been careful enough?”

“Your noble upbringing cannot be disguised so easily. You should be prideful--you are dignified and lady-like--a shining example of proper education.”

Zidane huffed, stepping towards Steiner. “That’s not true at all. You haven’t been watching--’Dagger’ is trying really hard.” He narrowed his eyes at the taller man. “You’re the one with the problem! Walking around yelling ‘Princess!’ ‘Oh Princess!’ everywhere! You might as well be holding a sign saying ‘Here we are--come and arrest us!’” 

“You..You..” Steiner threatened to rebuke, only for Zidane to pointedly turn his back on him. 

“Dagger, about the border crossing…” Garnet gave Zidane a questioning look. “Before all this, I was going to suggest…’why don’t we just hitch a ride on this airship?’”

“Oh, of course,” She touched her lips, contemplative, “Lindblum should not be terribly far by airship!” She shook her head, roughly. “I-I mean…’won’t be too far from here!’”

Zidane smiled. 

“Alright, well it’s a plan then.” He pointed at the airship behind them. “You all wait here while I go ask the people inside if they have room for a few more passengers. I won’t be long!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut it off where I did due to how long the chapter was getting--plus, I think the pacing overall will be better served this way. Don't worry, I didn't forget about *that* iconic scene--it's coming haha! Further, *all* party members will engage in combat soon, I promise! ;)


End file.
